Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) how widespread social exclusion is in rural areas and (b) the effect of his Department’s policies on social exclusion in rural areas.

Caroline Dinenage: Public Health England (PHE) and the Local Government Association jointly published ‘Health and Wellbeing in Rural Areas’ in March 2017, which describes the inequality experienced by some rural communities; gives a steer for local authorities on issues to consider in meeting the needs of rural communities and provides examples of case studies of how local areas are addressing this. The report is available to view at the following link: https://www.local.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing-rural-areas Last October, the Government published England’s first Loneliness Strategy which lays the foundation for people to build better and more meaningful connections. The practical measures to reduce loneliness set out in the strategy can also help to address social exclusion across the country. The Department welcomed the opportunity to draw on its own policies and programmes and its arm’s length bodies, including on primary care, public health, carers, mental health, social care and technology and digital support to inform the Loneliness Strategy, and remains committed to working alongside businesses, healthcare professionals, charities, community groups and local authorities to have a real and lasting impact on loneliness.

Accidents: Older People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the March 2015 NICE Quality Standard, Falls in older people, updated in January 2017, if he will make an estimate of the number of people that have been assessed under (a) Statement 1, (b) Statement 2 and (c) Statement 3 of that Quality Standard since 2017.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the March 2015 NICE Quality Standard, Falls in older people, updated in January 2017, if he will make an estimate of the number of GP practices that have implemented (a) Statement 1, (b) Statement 2 and (c) Statement 3 of that Quality Standard since 2017.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the March 2015 NICE Quality Standard, Falls in older people, updated in January 2017, what guidance his Department has provided to GP practices on implementing (a) Statement 1, (b) Statement 2 and (c) Statement 3 of that Quality Standard since 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: Between January 2017 to quarter 2017/18, under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard, ‘Falls in older people’ the following assessments have been made:- 102,000 people aged 65 and over have been identified as at risk of having a fall through routine assessments (quality standard 1); and- 25,000 patients were referred to a falls clinic. All patients referred to a falls clinic received a multifactorial falls risk assessment (quality standard 2). We do not have detailed information on the outcomes of these referrals. Quality Standard 3 refers to those at risk of needing an individualised multifactorial intervention. As above, we do not have detailed data on the outcome of referrals to a falls clinic but all of those referred could have received an individualised multifactorial intervention. NHS England understands most general practitioner (GP) practices are applying the NICE Quality Standard. We do not hold information on the specific numbers of GP practices which are applying this NICE Quality Standard. A number of resources are in place to support GP practices in relation to falls risk identification for older people. This includes guidance for general practices to support implementation of the frailty requirements in the 2017/18 GP contract. The guidance provides an explanation as to why routine frailty identification is included in the General Medical Services Contract and what a general practice is required to do. NICE guidance is referenced here along with supporting tools and resources.

Accidents: Older People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many emergency hospital admissions relating to falls in older people there have been in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using digital gait solutions to help prevent falls in older people.

Caroline Dinenage: In 2017/18, there were 302,096 emergency admissions related to falls in older people. As stated in the NHS Long Term Plan, we are committed to improving falls and fracture prevention. As well as supporting general practitioners to identify and treat those most at risk from falls, we are also providing various schemes, including exercise classes and strength and balance training, which aim to reduce hospital admissions. NHS England has made no formal assessment of the potential merits of using digital gait solutions.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on whether decisions on the commissioning of fertility treatment should continue to be the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has no plans to change arrangements for the commissioning of National Health Service fertility services.

Mental Illness: Community Care

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of spending on community mental health teams since 2010-11.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total spend was by NHS Trusts on community mental health teams in 2017-18.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This data is not collected in the format requested. The data collected from all National Health Service trusts, known as reference costs, does not record total spend on community mental health teams. The Government has recognised that we need to go further in improving mental health services. That is why the NHS Long Term Plan committed to implementing new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care, which will support adults and older adults with severe mental illnesses.

NHS: ICT

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure access to new digital services provided by the NHS by people that do not speak English as a first language.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are committed to ensuring that all those using the National Health Service have fair and equitable access to high quality, effective healthcare services that are responsive to all patients’ needs. For people who use NHS.UK links are made available to a translation tool, for those who require help with translation as the vast majority of its content is in English. Health information in other languages is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/accessibility/health-information-in-other-languages/ When an appointment is booked through the NHS App, individuals can specify whether a translator is required.  As part of its on-going user research, NHS Digital frequently tests its English-language content and services with a wide range of users, including those who have English as a second language.

Plastic Surgery

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a requirement for practitioners of cosmetic interventions to receive proper training and an assessment before undertaking procedures.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and better information so that people can make informed decisions about their care. Cosmetic surgery, where the surgical procedure involves the use of instruments or equipment which are inserted into the body, is a regulated activity and can only be performed by surgeons who are registered with the General Medical Council. Providers are required to register with the Care Quality Commission and meet the fundamental standards of safety and quality. The Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners was established in 2018 to accredit and assess practitioners and education and training providers within the non-surgical sector with the overarching aim of ensuring patient safety. We urge anyone seeking a cosmetic procedure to take the time to find a reputable, safe, and qualified practitioner who is subject to statutory regulation, or on a voluntary register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

Plastic Surgery

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an ombudsman to oversee the regulation of cosmetic procedures.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and better information so that people can make informed decisions about their care. In January 2012, Sir Bruce Keogh was asked by the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Rt. hon. Jeremy Hunt MP) to carry out a review of the regulation of cosmetic interventions following the Poly Implant Prothèse breast implants scandal. Recommendation 34 covered potentially expanding the remit of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to cover the whole private healthcare sector, including cosmetic procedures. The Government’s Cosmetic Interventions Working Group subsequently evaluated the feasibility of including private health services in the remit of the Ombudsman. This process identified a number of issues that would need to be resolved before such a change could be made. Consumers opting for cosmetic procedures are protected by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other forms of legal redress including the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services and the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spend per head of population on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services by each (a) Clinical Commissioning Group and (b) Local Authority in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data is not available in the format requested.

NHS 111

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many calls to 111 were abandoned in each month in 2018.

Stephen Hammond: The volume of NHS 111 calls which were abandoned after at least 30 seconds connection time to the NHS 111 service from January to December 2018 is shown in the following table. MonthVolume of calls abandoned after at least 30 secondsJanuary 201875,488February 201888,544March 2018113,244April 201845,718May 201843,485June 201846,702July 201862,784August 201841,646September 201837,697October 201844,697November 201850,703December 201857,375Source: NHS England, NHS 111 minimum data sethttps://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/nhs-111-minimum-data-set/

Private Patients

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of income from private patients at each NHS Trust for each of the last ten years for which records are available.

Stephen Hammond: The question is interpreted as requesting detail regarding the level of income generated from the treatment of private patients by each National Health Service trust. This is presented in the attached tables for the financial years 2010-11 to 2017-18. Prior to 2010-11 the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts did not report ‘income from private patients’ as a specific line item and thus comparable information for prior years is unable to be provided.



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Nurses

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of nurses employed in the NHS per head of population for each of the last ten years for which records are available.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of nurses and health visitors in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England in the last 10 years as at September each year, full time equivalent: September-2008281,021September-2009278,470September-2010279,883September-2011277,047September-2012271,407September-2013274,627September-2014278,981September-2015281,474September-2016284,288September-2017283,853September-2018285,674Source: NHS Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics, NHS Digital

NHS: Vacancies

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of vacancies in the NHS by 2030 based upon workforce assumptions in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the data requested. The Government will support the National Health Service to ensure that the right staff, with the right skills and experience, are available to deliver the high-quality care the public expects. This includes building on the work already underway to recruit, train and retain more staff to address shortages. This will involve more training places with increased flexibility, including for those high priority areas such as mental health and primary care, as well as new or expanded roles with greater opportunities for career progression for existing staff. To ensure a detailed plan that everyone in the NHS can get behind, the Secretary of State has commissioned Baroness Harding to lead a rapid and inclusive programme of work to set out a detailed workforce implementation plan to be published in the spring.

NHS: Training

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to involve people with learning disabilities and autism in the development of mandatory training for NHS staff.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether mandatory training for NHS staff on learning disability and autism will involve people with learning disabilities and autism.

Caroline Dinenage: We will shortly consult on proposals for mandatory learning disability and autism training to ensure that staff working in health and social care understand the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism and have the skills to provide them with the most effective care and support. Officials have worked with people with lived experience of learning disabilities and autism to develop the consultation proposals. We want to hear a range of views, including those from people with a learning disability or autism and their families, and in line with Cabinet Office principles on consultation, we will tailor the consultation to meet the needs and preferences of different groups, including the provision of consultation documents in alternative formats. The consultation will consider the role of people with a learning disability or autism in the development and deployment of training as they can bring a unique and valuable perspective as users of health and care services.

NHS: Standards

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) NHS treatment in A&E, (b) routine operations, and (c) cancer care.

Stephen Hammond: The Long Term Plan, launched by the National Health Service on 7 January 2018, will transform patient care and make sure every penny of taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. This is supported by the Government’s investment of £20.5 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24. The additional funding will allow the NHS to get back on the path to delivering core performance standards. More than that, it will also drive the reforms that deliver a better and more sustainable NHS with improved care for patients. In addition, NHS England’s ‘Operational and Planning Guidance for 2019/20’ sets out deliverables against key performance areas and the Government has charged the NHS to deliver these actions set– in full – as key steps towards fully recovering performance against core access standards. The Government has also supported the NHS with an additional £1.6 billion for 2018/19 to improve emergency and elective performance. In addition, more than £420 million has been provided specifically for this winter.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure services funded by the NHS uphold national learning disability improvement standards; and whether he plans to bring forward measures to ensure compliance with those standards.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight his Department will give to services funded by the NHS in relation to the implementation of national learning disability improvement standards.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Long Term Plan outlines the expectation that all National Health Service funded care providers in England should have implemented the learning disability improvement standards by 2023/24. Inclusion of the improvement standards in the NHS Standard contract 2019/20, mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners of all healthcare services except primary care, means that all providers must have regard to the improvement standards and guidance. To monitor and ensure compliance with the standards, NHS Improvement has commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to facilitate national data collection across all NHS trusts, including NHS community trusts and NHS ambulance trusts.

NHS: Procurement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference paragraph 1 of page 114 of the NHS Long-Term Plan, when he plans to (a) revoke the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No 2) Regulations 2013 and (b) exclude the NHS from the Public Contract Regulations.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service has been subject to its current public procurement rules since the EU Directive came into force in 2004. We will work with the NHS develop an approach to procurement that reflects the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

NHS: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to include people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism in the development of mandatory training for NHS staff.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether mandatory training on learning disability and autism will include people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism.

Caroline Dinenage: We will shortly consult on proposals for mandatory learning disability and autism training to ensure that staff working in health and social care understand the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism and have the skills to provide them with the most effective care and support. Officials have worked with people with lived experience of learning disabilities and autism to develop the consultation proposals. We want to hear a range of views, including those from people with a learning disability or autism and their families, and in line with Cabinet Office principles on consultation, we will tailor the consultation to meet the needs and preferences of different groups, including the provision of consultation documents in alternative formats. The consultation will consider the role of people with a learning disability or autism in the development and deployment of training as they can bring a unique and valuable perspective as users of health and care services.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) ensure that services funded by the NHS are compliant with national learning disability improvement standards.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Long Term Plan outlines the expectation that all National Health Service-funded care providers in England should have implemented the learning disability improvement standards by 2023/24. Inclusion of the improvement standards in the NHS Standard contract 2019/20, mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners of all healthcare services except primary care, means that all providers must have regard to the improvement standards and guidance. To monitor and ensure compliance with the improvement standards, NHS Improvement has commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to facilitate national data collection across all NHS trusts, including NHS community trusts and NHS ambulance trusts.

Midwives: Training

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the cost of training a student midwife is paid by (a) the student, (b) his Department and (c) other sources.

Stephen Hammond: In England, the initial cost of training a midwife is paid by the Government. Part of this is in the form of student loan outlay, which the student accesses for tuition fees and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company. The following table shows indicative Government costs for each year of training a midwife who lives outside of London and away from home. It shows the maximum possible amount of each payment type available. Midwifery courses typically last three years. Additional funding to students may also be available through the Student Loans Company and the Learning Support Fund. This is available to those with adult and child dependants, and for those in exceptional hardship. They may also be eligible for reimbursement of additional travel costs to attend clinical placements. The amount shown in the table is paid by the Department directly to hospital trusts for a student’s clinical placement. The amount paid back by the student depends on how much they earn during their career. If the loan is not fully repaid after 30 years it is written off. For example, once a student enters the workforce they pay their loans back at a rate of 9% of their earnings over the repayment threshold of £25,000. This equates to £15 a month for a student earning £27,000 a year. Systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibilities of the devolved administrations in each of those countries. 2018/19 Indicative cost to the Government of training a midwife for each year of their training Payment typeCostPaid byCosts of trainingTuition fee loan to the university£9,250Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings.Clinical placement funding to the placement provider£1,383 + Market Forces FactorDepartment of Health and Social CareAdditional costs for living supportMaintenance loan to the student£8,700Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings.Long courses loan to the student£1,116 Notes:- Based on a student who lives away from their parents.- Based on a student who lives outside of London and is eligible for the maximum amount of maintenance allowance available.- Based on a student on a 42-week course, of which 20 weeks are on clinical placement.- Placement funding includes Market Forces Factor (MFF). The MFF compensates for difference in the cost of providing training in different parts of the country.Sources:Tuition fee loan:https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/products/full-time-undergraduate-education/full-time-tuition-fee-loan/whats-available/Maintenance loan:https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/products/full-time-undergraduate-education/full-time-maintenance-loan/whats-available/Long courses loan:https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/products/full-time-undergraduate-education/full-time-maintenance-loan/long-courses/Clinical placement funding:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629492/2017-18_ET_tariff_guidance_FINAL_July_v2.pdf

Maternity Services: Foreign Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Ministerial Statement of 12 December 2018 on NHS Overseas Charging Regulations Review 2017, HCWS1174, what assessment was made of the needs of (a) pregnant women and (b) new mothers in that review.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 December 2018 on NHS Overseas Charging Regulations Review 2017, HCWS1174, what discussions he held with (a) healthcare professionals, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) others with an expertise in maternity care as part of that review.

Stephen Hammond: The Department engaged with 79 organisations as part of the process of reviewing the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 and received 57 formal responses. The Department met with and received responses from a number of organisations with expertise in maternity care, including a royal college, maternity staff groups and maternity stakeholder groups. A number of other organisations and individuals who contributed to the review also commented on the impact of the amendment regulations on maternity service users. Although maternity treatment must always be regarded as immediately necessary, and therefore not subject to the upfront charging requirement, some evidence suggested that overseas visitors may not always be aware of this. The Department has therefore committed to develop user-friendly, culturally-appropriate guidance, that will clarify that maternity treatment is never subject to the upfront charging requirement and ensure this reaches those who may be impacted. The Department has also updated national guidance (published 24 December 2018) to make clear that termination of pregnancy services are to be regarded as urgent, and therefore not subject to the upfront charging requirement, where the overseas visitor cannot reasonably be expected to leave the UK before the date which an abortion may no longer be a viable option. As a result of the 2017 amendment regulations some secondary care services, including community midwifery services, have become chargeable. However, these services were already chargeable if delivered by hospital employed or directed staff and the removal of the exemption was important in ensuring that charging rules apply in a fair and consistent manner, regardless of where a service is provided. The exemption from the charging regulations for conditions caused by sexual violence remains in place to protect this vulnerable group.

Midwives: Training

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in each academic year since 2016-17; what the average bursary paid to a student midwife was in each of those years; and what the total cost of those bursaries was to his Department in each of those years.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows the number of midwifery students in receipt of bursary funding in the last two completed academic years and the average payment per student.Academic YearStudent Count1Total Value of Payments (£)2Average Per Student (£)2016/176,48535,798,4445,5202017/184,14623,815,2115,744Source: NHS Business Services AuthorityNotes:1Any student who received any element of bursary funding whilst enrolled on a midwifery course2Total payment(s) of any award element, i.e. Basic Award or supplementary allowances In August 2017 the education funding system changed with all new pre-registration undergraduate nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students accessing student loans for tuition fees and living costs rather than a National Health Service bursary. In August 2018 postgraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students also began to access student loans.

Midwives

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the NHS has been of employing a midwife on a full-time basis in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department’s estimates of the average cost to the National Health Service employing one midwife at a full-time equivalent (FTE) are set out in the following table in each of the last five years. These costs include total earnings, national insurance and pension contributions.  Estimated Average Pay bill per FTE (Midwife)2013-14£46,0532014-15£45,9552015-16£46,0962016-17£47,2242017-18£47,381Source: The Department’s Headline HCHS pay bill metrics, which are based primarily on earnings statistics published by NHS Digital, supplemented by employer pension and national insurance contributions estimates informed by unpublished and unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse. Pay bill per FTE levels do not depend solely on pay policy and pay awards. They also reflect patterns in those leaving and joining the workforce and the impact this has on average experience and pay levels, and they reflect patterns in non-basic earnings such as overtime which can fluctuate.

Midwives: Termination of Employment

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the reasons that midwives have provided for leaving NHS employment in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the reasons recorded for midwives leaving the National Health Service in England, as at 1 April in each year between 2013-2018 and the first two quarters of 2018-19, headcount: Reason for Leaving2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-19 First two quartersTotal2,9122,9962,9562,8582,7821,497Of which  Dismissal778869796938End of Fixed Term Contract433452534613Flexi Retirement14114315019516586Mutually Agreed Resignation - Local Scheme with Repayment111210Mutually Agreed Resignation - Local Scheme without Repayment020000Mutually Agreed Resignation - National Scheme with Repayment001100Others370346127282613Redundancy - Compulsory003010Redundancy - Voluntary343230Retirement - Ill Health30293139298Retirement Age523586603578592297Voluntary Early Retirement - no Actuarial Reduction454163564322Voluntary Early Retirement - with Actuarial Reduction283627313412Voluntary Resignation - Adult Dependants1381211134Voluntary Resignation - Better Reward Package253919164212Voluntary Resignation - Child Dependants584945463336Voluntary Resignation - Health443454756643Voluntary Resignation - Incompatible Working Relationships141316121513Voluntary Resignation - Lack of Opportunities222514212011Voluntary Resignation - Other/Not Known524500557505442237Voluntary Resignation - Promotion8611310211012069Voluntary Resignation - Relocation563560598605628355Voluntary Resignation - To undertake further education or training837171444642Voluntary Resignation - Work Life Balance225287344355353190NHS Improvement is leading a direct support programme to work with trusts with the highest attrition rates to identify improvements and improve retention to close the supply gap.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January to Question 205797 on Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit, when his Department plans to publish the data transparency releases referred to in that answer.

Stephen Hammond: All spending over £25,000 is published in line with current guidance on a quarterly basis.

Drugs

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's plans to ensure the supply of medicines in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal (a) have been or (b) will be subjected to an independent evaluation.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) a list of medicines for which there is a supply risk in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal and (b) a plan to mitigate those supply risks.

Stephen Hammond: The Department’s plans to ensure the supply of medicines in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal have been subject to scrutiny by a number of Parliamentary Committees, including the Public Accounts Committee, the Health and Social Care Committee, the EU Exit Committee and the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee. The Department is also working closely with suppliers, their supply chains, health services and devolved administrations to maintain the continuity of medicines supply in a ‘no deal’ EU exit scenario. We are unable to publish the list of medicines requested. To reassure participating companies, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s contingency programme. That means not introducing information about a specific company, medicine or supply route into the public domain. On 23 August 2018, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines to the UK that come from, or via, the EU or European Economic Area (EEA), asking them to ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019. We recognise, however, that certain medicines with short shelf lives, including medical radioisotopes, cannot be reasonably stockpiled. Where these medicines are imported from the EU or EEA, we have asked that suppliers ensure in advance plans to air freight these medicines from the EU in the event of a ‘no deal’ exit. Additionally, on 7 December 2018, the Department wrote to pharmaceutical companies that supply licensed medicines to the UK from or via the EU/EEA and/or manufacture medicines in the UK, informing them of the updated reasonable worst-case scenario border disruption planning assumptions and asking them about their current transportation routes and their ability to re-route their supply chains if they currently rely on Dover and/or Folkestone. We have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and that suppliers are able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a ‘no deal’ exit.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding from the £20.5 billion of investment announced in the NHS Long Term Plan will be allocated to clinics dedicated to the treatment of problem gambling.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect of Prescription Ordering Direct services' ability to deny or delay repeat prescription requests from patients with lifelong or long-term illnesses or diseases for whom their GP has always previously and continues to prescribe such medication on the health of such patients.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Psychiatric Hospitals: Children and Young People

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many child and adolescent mental health in-patient beds there were in England in each year from 2009 to 2018 inclusive.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many child and adolescent mental health in-patient beds there were in London in each year from 2009 to 2018 inclusive.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many child and adolescent mental health in-patient beds there have been in Norfolk and Suffolk in each year from 2009 to 2018 inclusive.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on the number of child and adolescent mental health inpatient beds is not held in the format requested.

Drugs: Misuse

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reducing rates of drug dependency among homeless people; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reducing rates of alcohol dependency among homeless people; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug and / or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need to overcome their problem and to help them rebuild their lives and sustain their recovery. We know that many rough sleepers have substance misuse needs, and that rough sleepers can struggle to access the support they need to tackle substance dependency. In London in 2017-18, 43% of rough sleepers were recorded as having an alcohol-related need, and 40% as having a drug-related need. We made a number of commitments in the Rough Sleeping Strategy to address this issue, including a rapid audit of health service provision to rough sleepers, including mental health and substance misuse treatment; and the provision of up to £2 million in health funding to test models of community-based health and support services for people who are rough sleepers. Public Health England is taking action to improve access to drug and alcohol treatment services for homeless people with drug and alcohol problems so that they get the help that they need and will be issuing commissioning guidance to local authorities in 2019. The Government has also committed in the 2017 Drug Strategy to take action on drug misuse among homeless people, including to work with treatment providers, the homelessness sector and housing support services to identify and share best practice to support local authorities in identifying routes into appropriate accommodation for those recovering from a drug dependency. A Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Ministerial Taskforce involving all Government Departments with a responsibility for those sleeping rough was set up on 7 March 2018 to develop the Rough Sleeping Strategy and oversee its implementation. It’s membership involves Secretaries of State from five Government Departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as well as a number of other junior ministers where the portfolio is more suited to rough sleeping.

NHS: Food

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the continued supply of medical food in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of medical food supplies in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Government is working to ensure that the United Kingdom is able to cope with any potential delays at borders that may arise in the short term in the event we leave the European Union without a deal. Our planning will ensure that from the day the UK leaves the EU, we will have the necessary resources and contingencies in place to ensure uninterrupted supplies of medical foods.

Mental Illness: Equality

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the 2010 Equality Act to ensure that there are sufficient protections for people who have mental ill health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is aware of concerns that some people with mental health conditions have experienced problems in accessing the Equality Act 2010’s protections. The Government is therefore exploring legislative options to extend protections from discrimination in the workplace for people with mental health conditions, including through the Equality Act 2010.

Dental Health: Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of children aged five had at least one missing, decayed or filled tooth in each of the last eight years .

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 51 of the NHS Long Term Plan, when his Department plans to (a) start and (b) complete the roll-out the new CAMHS model for 0-25-year olds.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 51 of the NHS Long Term Plan, how what estimate he has made of the cost of the roll-out of the new CAMHS model for 0-25-year olds.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The roll-out of services for 0-25 year olds will form part of wider Long Term Plan implementation. Full details will be made available in the spring as part of the National Implementation Framework. Further details on implementation, based on local health system five year plans, will be brought together in a detailed national implementation plan in the autumn. Funding for mental health will increase by at least £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24, which includes funding to extend current mental health service models to create a comprehensive offer for 0-25 year olds that reaches across mental health services for children, young people and adults.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2018 to Question 206308 on Pregnancy: Mental Health Services, what funding his Departmental will make available for the expansion in perinatal services under the NHS Long Term Plan.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England’s Long Term Plan confirms that mental health will receive a growing share of the National Health Service budget, worth at least a further £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24. Within this increased budget for mental health, there is funding to expand perinatal services by 2023/24. Fuller details of profiled figures will form part of the detailed national implementation programme noted on page 10 of the Long Term Plan.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Commission: Powers

Neil Gray: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent discussions the Electoral Commission has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the investigatory powers of the Electoral Commission.

Bridget Phillipson: The Commission has on-going dialogue with the Minister for the Constitution and has raised the need for a significant increase to its current maximum fine of only £20,000 per offence. This would ensure that sanctions are proportionate and provide a genuine deterrent to campaigners who may be tempted to break the UK’s political finance laws.It continues to recommend that its investigative and sanctioning powers should be extended to include offences relating to candidate spending and donations at major elections. This would help to ensure compliance with the rules at UK-wide and other national elections, and to strengthen voters’ trust in the regulatory system.

Department for Work and Pensions

Mental Health Services: Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that everyone has access to mental health first aid in the workplace.

Sarah Newton: Employers are already required under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 to consider mental health alongside physical health when undertaking their first aid needs assessment. On the 21st November 2018 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published guidance, developed with Mental Health First Aid-England, to clarify this point and improve employer understanding. Findings from recent reviews1, 2 looking at the impact of mental health first aid training in a workplace environment show that there are a number of knowledge gaps which mean it is not possible to say whether it is effective in improving the management of mental health in workplaces, or whether it is the only effective mechanism for support. The findings also highlight several additional prevention and management measures that employers should put in place to supplement the essentially reactive approach of mental health first aid. Government recognises that mental health first aid training has a role to play in a comprehensive approach to managing mental health in workplaces and anecdotally some individuals report positive benefits. In November 2017, the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit published “Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability” command paper which describes the range of actions that Government is taking forward, including building support for those experiencing mental ill-health to remain in or enter the workplace. This includes implementing recommendations from the independent Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer ‘Thriving at Work’ review published in October 2017 that considered how employers can better support the mental health of their employees. Its central recommendation identified the need for employers to adopt a comprehensive set of mental health standards. This comprehensive approach will help employers to encourage an open, transparent and supportive organisational culture and tailor their actions to address varying factors such as their employee needs, type of work and size of company. The Government is working closely with employers of all sizes to help them implement the standards and easily access the right support and guidance. 1: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr1135.pdf2: https://www.iosh.co.uk/MHFAworkplace

Universal Credit

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether non-UK citizens will be part of the test group that receive the new benefit as part of the roll-out of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: We are still in the planning stages for managed migration and we have yet to agree the characteristics of those claimants who we will include in the initial pilot for managed migration. We are currently working closely with stakeholders and claimants to design our migration processes. Our focus remains on delivering a process that works well for everyone.

Universal Credit: Asylum

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on the ability of asylum seekers to claim benefits in the UK.

Alok Sharma: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question the response to PQ203324 answered on 28 December 2018.

Motability: Brighton and Hove

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the Brighton and Hove area have had their Motability car taken back while they are waiting for a personal independence payment appeal to be heard by the Tribunals Service; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: This information is not readily available at constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Government worked closely with Motability to develop an extensive £175 million Transitional Support package when PIP was first introduced. This aimed to provide support to people who have not been awarded the enhanced mobility component and as a result lost their Motability Scheme vehicle upon reassessment from DLA to PIP. This is paid for by the Motability charity and at no cost to the taxpayer.Claimants who joined the Motability Scheme before 1 January 2014 can keep their vehicle for up to 3 months after finding out their claim is unsuccessful and are offered a one-off payment of between £2,000 and £1,000. If a claim is pending appeal, then the claimant is offered a 26- week lease extension and a smaller one-off payment. In addition, claimants have the option to buy their old Scheme vehicle, and can obtain help to adapt any new, non-Scheme vehicle.

Barnardos: Work Experience

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government has taken in support of its work experience collaboration with Barnardos.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has been working closely with Barnardo’s to develop and scope a pilot of voluntary work experience opportunities for care leavers in some of Barnardo’s high street shops. The objective of this pilot is to give young people independence within their communities and to support them to gain confidence and skills that will help them gain employment and create a better future for themselves.The pilot is expected to run for 6 months, with individual placements lasting between 6-8 weeks. Barnardo’s have offered that those engaged in work experience will be able to enrol on a Level 2 training course with the Barnardo’s Volunteer Academy at any stage of their placement. They will also have the option to stay on as a volunteer once the placement has ended.Participants will have a DWP Care Leaver Single Point of Contact, which is a work coach that leads on care leaver issues. Additional support will also be available in the form of a team of staff, including the claimant’s individual work coach and the care leaver’s Personal Adviser, based in the Local Authority care leaver team. The DWP’s National Employer and Partnership Team lead has arranged to meet the staff who will be involved in the pilot in each Jobcentre.Care leavers will be given a work book to complete during their placement which will encompass feedback and a record of achievements. After the pilot, care leavers will review their progress with their work coach and update their CV. They will also work to agree the next step for them as individuals, for example further training, an apprenticeship or moving into work.

Training: Prisons

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches currently work in UK prisons on a full-time basis.

Alok Sharma: Currently, there are 130 work coaches based in prisons in England, Scotland and Wales. Of these, 49 work in prisons on a full time basis and the others work on a part time basis. In total this is the equivalent of 107 full time members of staff.

Universal Credit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for universal credit have been made in the Welsh language.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of delaying the managed migration aspect of universal credit on the ability to make a universal credit application in Welsh.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit claims in the Welsh language is available to anyone making a new claim in Wales now that roll-out is complete. The Department’s Welsh Language Scheme also offers legacy claimants the ability to be communicated with, orally or written, via the medium of Welsh; they do not have to wait to be moved over to Universal Credit via managed migration to take advantage of Welsh language services. Our internal data suggests that 290 Universal Credit claimants (or 1.6% of new claims made in Wales since 5 December 2018) have declared a Welsh language preference. We have agreed to pilot the initial approach to migration slowly and gradually, but (as set out in Written Statement HCWS1243 on 11 January 2019) this does not affect the timeline for the overall delivery of Universal Credit.

Universal Credit

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to provide transitional protection to people that will naturally migrate to universal credit as a result of a change in circumstances.

Alok Sharma: Claimants only move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural migration when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to a benefit that Universal Credit replaces. Their entitlement is then calculated on the rules of their new benefit and their new circumstances. Transitional protection is designed to ensure those claimants who are moved onto Universal Credit without a change in circumstances receive the same level of entitlement to Universal Credit as they were entitled to on legacy benefits. As Universal Credit is simpler, the most recent estimates show that around 700,000 households will get entitlements they were not claiming under the legacy system, worth on average £285 per month. We have also introduced a number of measures to assist claimants during their transition to Universal Credit. Claimants who naturally migrate to Universal Credit can access a Universal Credit advance, which is worth up to 100 per cent of their indicative award and is available from the date of their claim. This advance is currently repayable over 12 months, but as announced in the 2018 Budget, from October 2021 the maximum repayment period will be extended to 16 months. Claimants may also be entitled to a two week Universal Credit Transitional Housing Payment. From July 2020 the Government is introducing a new two-week run on for income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Universal Credit

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department will use to select the 10,000 people for managed migration test phase.

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 10,000 people selected for the universal credit managed migration test phase will not be worse off as a result of participation in that test phase.

Alok Sharma: On 11 January 2019, Written Statement HCWS1243 confirmed our plans for a pilot phase for the managed migration of 10,000 claimants from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit. The Department will proceed with care and attention to ensure that every single claimant moved accesses Universal Credit smoothly and receives the support they need during the transition. The draft regulations, which are currently before Parliament, contain provision to provide transitional protection to those who are moved through managed migration onto Universal Credit without a change in circumstances. This will ensure that these claimants receive the same level of entitlement to Universal Credit as they were entitled to on legacy benefits. The aim of the pilot is to ensure that claimants on all legacy benefits, with a range of differing characteristics are successfully migrated to Universal Credit. The Department is currently working closely with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders to design the managed migration process and we are considering our approach to the pilot, including which groups or individuals we might begin to migrate first.

Universal Credit

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her oral answer of 7 January 2019 to Question 908384, Official Report, column 3, if she will published the updated guidance on real-time support for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: We have worked with HMRC and employers to ensure that they are aware of the actions they need to take to reflect an employee’s earnings. Guidance was issued to employers by HMRC in December on Real Time Information reporting obligations for payments made early over the festive period. The Department’s Universal Credit guidance for staff on earnings and the actions to take is regularly reviewed. Universal Credit guidance is published in the House of Commons Library and the Department is committed to refreshing this at regular intervals.

Occupational Pensions Scheme Review

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to respond to the report entitled, Review of Survivor Benefits in Occupational Pension Schemes, published in June 2014.

Guy Opperman: The landscape of survivor benefits has changed significantly since the publication of the Review, not least because of the Walker judgement. Government will respond to the Review of Survivor Benefits in Occupational Pension Schemes when the assessment of the full implications of the judgement is complete.

Notice Boards: Fire Regulations

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Health and Safety Executive will undertake an investigation to determine whether notice boards in workplaces including schools, colleges, universities and care homes meet fire safety standards; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers general fire safety in England and Wales. In Scotland this is Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulation 2006. In the majority of premises, including schools, colleges, universities and care homes, local fire and rescue authorities are responsible for enforcing this fire safety legislation.General fire safety in the workplace, and fire safety standards, are not the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and therefore HSE cannot undertake an investigation into whether notice boards meet fire safety standards. The Home Office is responsible for fire and rescue policy.

Home Office

Asylum: Employment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been granted permission to work in the UK while their cases are being considered in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK unless their claim has been outstanding for at least 12 months through no fault of their own.The data requested on the number of asylum seekers granted permission to work while their cases are being considered in each of the last five years is only held on paper case files or within the notes sections of the Home Office's databases. Therefore, the number of asylum seekers granted permission to work is not held in a reportable format.

Drugs: Crime

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the number of criminal gangs operating across county lines.

Victoria Atkins: The National Crime Agency undertakes an assessment of county lines which provides a picture of the scale and scope of the threat.The assessments do not include the number of gangs but they do include an estimate of the number of active ‘deal lines’ operating in England and Wales. The anonymous deal lines may be operated by individuals or groups. The previous assessment was published in November 2017 and conservatively estimated that there were at least 720 lines. The latest threat assessment will be published shortly.

Immigrants: Health Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of waiving the Immigration Health Surcharge for non-EEA nursing staff.

Caroline Nokes: The Government fully recognises the contribution that international healthcare professionals, including nurses, make to the UK and to our health service, but we are not convinced it would be appropriate to waive the immigration health surcharge for this group.Other providers of public services, such as teachers, are required to pay the charge and it is only right that those who come to the UK for more than six months who will not have built up the same connection contribute to the running of the NHS. It is important to remember that the charge offers access to health care services that are more comprehensive and often at lower cost than many other countries. The income generated by surcharge payments goes directly to NHS services, helping to protect and sustain our world-class healthcare system for everyone who uses it.

Windrush Generation: Compensation

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish details of the Windrush compensation scheme following the Government's consultation on that scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has committed to putting into place the Windrush compensation scheme and is grateful to those who responded to the public consultation that closed on 16 November.We are considering the outcome of the consultation exercise and will respond as soon as possible with further details, including who is eligible to apply for compensation and how they can access the scheme.

Asylum: Staffordshire

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support the Government has allocated to Staffordshire County Council in support of caring for unaccompanied (a) adult and (b) children asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The government provides funding to local authorities as a contribution to-wards the costs incurred in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and young care leavers who were UASC.For unaccompanied children arriving from 1 July 2016, local authorities can claim £114 per day for those children aged under 16 and £91 per day for those children aged 16 or 17. The overall value of each claim is dependent on the number of agreed days that children are supported by the local authority. More information on the funding available to local authorities supporting UASC and former UASC care leavers can be found in the funding instructions published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unaccompanied-asylum-seeking-children-uasc-grant-instructionsThe Home Office directly provides adult asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute with free furnished accommodation (rent and utility free) and a weekly cash allowance to cover their other essential living needs.

Visas: Married People

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of premium service spousal visa applications for settlement in the UK were processed by UK Visas and Immigration within target times between (a) 1 January 2018 and 31 July 2018 and (b) 1 August 2018 and 1 January 2019.

Caroline Nokes: Information on out of country applications for settlement visas and pro-cessing performance against service standards is published in the Migration Transparency data, table Visa01, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-operations-transparency-data-november-2018 The latest data show the vast majority 97.0% of straightforward cases were dealt with within customer service standards.

Social Media: Regulation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statutory options for the regulation of social media companies his Department plans to include in the White Paper on online harm.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the legislation required to help ensure that children are protected from online harms; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a regulator to tackle online harms on social media platforms; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) social networking companies and (b) online platforms his Department has met with or received briefings from in the process of writing the White Paper on online harms.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is publishing a White Paper this year. It will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep UK citizens safe online. Protecting children from abuse and exploitation online will be a central component of the White Paper.We are currently exploring options for a strengthened regulatory approach. As part of that we are engaging a broad range of stakeholders. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of Ministerial meetings which are held as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Undocumented Migrants: Boats

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January to Question 206043 on Undocumented Migrants: Boats, for what reason his Department does not routinely publish that data; and if he will make it his policy to publish that data routinely.

Caroline Nokes: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 January 2019.The correct answer should have been:

As set out in the Immigration White Paper, the future system will be a single global immigration system, where students of all nationalities will apply under the new student route.Under the new route all students studying at a Masters’ level, or at Bachelors’ level and an institution with degree awarding powers, will be eligible for the increased 6-month post study leave period. Doctoral students will be eligible for a 12-month post study leave period.Border Force does not routinely publish data that does not meet the Home Office standard for publication or that could impact its operational effectiveness. There are no current plans to routinely publish this data in the future.Border Force transparency data can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/border-force-statistics

Caroline Nokes: As set out in the Immigration White Paper, the future system will be a single global immigration system, where students of all nationalities will apply under the new student route.Under the new route all students studying at a Masters’ level, or at Bachelors’ level and an institution with degree awarding powers, will be eligible for the increased 6-month post study leave period. Doctoral students will be eligible for a 12-month post study leave period.Border Force does not routinely publish data that does not meet the Home Office standard for publication or that could impact its operational effectiveness. There are no current plans to routinely publish this data in the future.Border Force transparency data can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/border-force-statistics

Domestic Violence

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the risks of smart home and internet-connected devices being used to enable domestic violence.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the misuse of smart home and internet-connected devices to enable domestic violence.

Victoria Atkins: Last year we launched a public consultation on the Government response to domestic abuse in which we asked about the risk of technology being used to perpetrate abuse.We will be publishing a response to the consultation and draft Domestic Abuse Bill soon.The Government will also shortly publish a white paper detailing how we will tackle online harms, including domestic abuse.We have also provided Refuge with £250,000 of funding through the Tampon Tax to provide specialist nationwide support to staff and survivors who experience technologically facilitated abuse.

Police: Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the announcement entitled, National operation to retest manipulated forensic samples continues, published by the National Police Chiefs' Council in December 2018, for which company does the independent expert employed to analyse the retest results work.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office is not responsible for the independent expert, who is employed by the National Police Chief’s Council to conduct the retesting work.

Asylum

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it remains his Department's policy to consider an asylum-seeker's claim for asylum less favourably if that person did not claim asylum in the first safe country they reached; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The United Kingdom has a proud tradition of providing sanctuary to those in need of protection. Where we are responsible for deciding asylum claims we will consider all cases on their individual merits.Our domestic legislation and Immigration Rules underline the importance of claiming asylum in the first safe country, which is reflected in section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of claimants etc.,) Act 2004. This clearly states that a failure to take advantage of a reasonable opportunity to claim asylum in a safe country shall be taken into account in assessing the individual’s credibility.In light of the recent sharp increase in the number of migrants attempting perilous Channel crossings to the UK in small boats, I have asked my officials to look at what more we can do to deter asylum seekers from travelling to the UK – often dangerously – from other safe countries in the first place.

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his is taking to ensure a smooth transition in the transfer of asylum accommodation contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has designed the new contracts to replace the current COMPASS services to ensure a smooth transition from the old contractual obligations to the new contractual requirements.  The timetable allows eight months for mobilisation and transition activities, which is consistent with the timeline for transition to operationalise the current contracts.The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) mobilisation transition plans have also built on a number of lessons, including the creation of an appropriately resourced function with suitable experience, expertise and understanding of the new contracts.We will be working with local authorities to ensure an effective transitionA Written Ministerial Statement was laid before the House on 8 January 2019 with further details of this contract transition; https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-01-08/HCWS1237/

Immigration: EU Nationals

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long it is taking on average to process applications made by EU nationals to the pilot EU settled status scheme.

Caroline Nokes: Applications under the pilot phases of EU Settlement Scheme have been processed very quickly. Some applicants have needed to provide additional information and we have worked with them to ensure they know what information they need to provide. For these cases decisions could take longer as we will rely on the applicant providing that information in order to progress their application.Further details will be provided in the second private beta report which will be published in due course.

High Rise Flats: Fires

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of fires in (a) publicly and (b) privately owned high rise residential blocks in each of the last 20 years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office do not hold this information.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 10 December 2018 to Question 198924 on Immigration: EU Nationals, which private sector organisations could be involved in the use of the data.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is the data controller for all data processed within the EU Settlement Scheme, this includes where organisations are contracted to act on behalf of the Home Office as the Home Office.The Home Office may share information with other organisations, but only where the information needs to be shared and there is an appropriate legal basis for doing so. Further detail on this is set out in the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System privacy information notice:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-information-use-in-borders-immigration-and-citizenship.

Detection Rates

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of unsolved crime in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government has not made an assessment of trends in the level of unsolved crime in the UK or regionally.It is the responsibility of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to make sure criminal cases are investigated properly. Together with the Crown Prosecution Service they must make sure cases are charged where there is sufficient evidence, and it is in the public interest to do so.The Home Office collects outcomes data for police recorded crime. These data are published quarterly. The latest figures, for the year ending June 2018 can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesIn the year ending June 2018, there were 4,978,455 crimes recorded by the police. 2,322,169 of these offences were closed with no suspect identified (46.6% of recorded crime).

Entry Clearances: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any changes have been made to the operational roll-out of Operation Gull in Northern Ireland as an Immigration Enforcement intelligence led operation in the past two months.

Caroline Nokes: No changes have been made to Operation Gull in the past two months.

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of alcohol-related crimes committed in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: The main measure of alcohol-related crime is available in the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and relates to alcohol-related violent incidents.The latest figures show that the number of alcohol-related violent crime has fallen from 901,000 incidents in 2009/10 to 464,000 incidents in 2016/17. The data for the year ending March 2017 is available in Table 3.11 at the following link: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/natureofcrimetablesviolence

Immigration

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's white paper on The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, published in December 2018, whether he plans to introduce a second immigration Bill to implement the proposals contained in that White Paper.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published a White Paper on 19 December 2018 outlining the UK’s future skills-based immigration system. The Government also introduced the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill on 20 December 2018 which will end free movement and provide the legal basis for the future immigration system.We will implement most of the future immigration arrangements in UK Immigration Rules as is the case now. If primary legislation is required to implement any details of the future system, we will bring forward that legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for permanent residence documents by EU Citizens exercising treaty rights as self-sufficient people or students have been refused on the grounds of the applicant not having comprehensive sickness insurance.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds the requirement for an EU Citizen to hold comprehensive sickness insurance while exercising their treaty rights as a self-sufficient person or student may be waived in respect of applications for permanent residence documents.

Caroline Nokes: The Free Movement Directive, as implemented in the UK by the Immigra-tion (EEA) Regulations 2016, requires students and self-sufficient persons to hold comprehensive sickness insurance (CSI).The Government may waive this requirement when considering applica-tions for permanent residence documents from EEA national students who have been issued with a registration certificate confirming their residence as a student in the UK before 20 June 2011. In such cases, it is accepted that time spent in the UK without holding CSI is deemed lawful residence for the purposes of assessing whether the five-year qualifying period for permanent residence has been met.Guidance on comprehensive sickness insurance requirements and transitional provisions for students can be found in the guidance on ‘qualified persons’ (from page 30) on Gov.uk via the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-economic-area-nationals-qualified-persons.The information available on grants and refusals of documents certifying permanent residence is published at a total level in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, EEA table ee_02_q, latest edition at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018.Information relating to the specific reason for refusal of those applications for permanent residence is not published.For the avoidance of doubt, comprehensive sickness insurance is not a requirement for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme, which has been established to grant UK immigration status to EU citizens as we leave the EU.

Northern Ireland Office

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of funding Northern Ireland has received from (a) grants from the EU and (b) loans from the European Investment Bank since 1998.

Karen Bradley: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not made any estimates of the amount of funding Northern Ireland has received from European Union grants, or loans from the European Investment Bank since 1998. The information requested is not held by the NIO and gathering the information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. However in regard to loans received from the European Investment Bank (EIB), whilst a local figure for Northern Ireland is not recorded, the EIB does report loans provided across the United Kingdom. This information can be obtained directly from the EIB website.

Treasury

Ramsgate Port

Andy McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the customs code for the Channel ports will be extended to the Port of Ramsgate.

Mel Stride: The Government has been clear that we do not want or expect a ‘no deal’ scenario, however we will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities.In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, customs controls will be required on UK-EU trade. HMRC has been working closely with key RoRo locations and the businesses that facilitate trade through these locations to understand how best customs requirements can be implemented at Dover, Eurotunnel and other ports in Kent. In recognition of the unique nature of cross-Channel trade, and in response to stakeholder feedback, we are ensuring that a singular, joint location code covering both Dover and Eurotunnel can be used for the customs IT systems. This allows the haulier the flexibility of making last minute changes to routing, which is currently important for hauliers transporting goods to and from the EU. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Transport and other key stakeholders to plan for this scenario, including taking into account industry views on whether such a joint location code should be extended on any RoRo services that would operate out of Ramsgate.

Licensed Premises: Non-domestic Rates

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to assess the eligibility of music venues for discounted business rates.

Mel Stride: Budget 2018 announced a two-year business rates discount of one third for small retailers. As set out in the published guidance, the government considers retail to mean properties being used as shops, cafes, restaurants, and drinking establishments. It will be for local authorities to implement the discount and decide whether properties are similar in nature to those listed as eligible in the guidance. Music venues will only be eligible where they are similar in nature to those properties listed as eligible. This discount is part of Our Plan for the High Street, a £1.5bn support package. All ratepayers are benefitting from recent wide-ranging reductions to business rates; in total, cuts announced since Budget 2016 are worth more than £13bn to businesses over the next five years.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Julia Lopez: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been raised for the public purse from vehicle excise duties from the Greater London Authority area in each year for which information is available; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of devolving the proceeds of vehicle excise duties raised in the Greater London Authority area to London local authorities.

Robert Jenrick: In 2017-18, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) raised a total of around £6.2 billion in revenue. VED is collected nationwide and since it is tied to where individuals choose to register their vehicles, there is no official methodology to identify the VED collected in any particular region. As such, VED does not lend itself to devolution as vehicle registrations do not necessarily correlate with either emissions or vehicle use. VED revenues will be hypothecated to the National Roads Fund (NRF) in England from 2020-21. The NRF will provide certainty for roads investment, including in London.

Licensed Premises: Music

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of business rates on the financial viability of small music venues.

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) he has and (b) officials of his Department have met with (i) his and (ii) their counterparts in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to discuss extending business rates relief to small music venues.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury Ministers and officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in other government departments on a range of issues, including business rates. Since Budget 2016, we have announced cuts worth more than £13bn to businesses over the next five years, including switching to CPI indexation, and making Small Business Rate Relief more generous so that 655,000 of the smallest businesses pay no rates at all. The government also introduced a £3.6bn transitional relief scheme to support ratepayers facing bill increases as a result of the 2017 property revaluation.  Budget 2018 announced a new business rates retail discount, cutting bills by a third for eligible businesses. As is set out in guidance, music venues may be eligible for the discount where they are broadly similar in nature to those properties listed as eligible. It is for local authorities to make that judgement.

Brexit

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution on the motion on Section 13(1)(b) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 on 10 January 2019, Official Report, Column 574, what technology proposals the Government has received on establishing a frictionless border between the UK and the EU.

Mel Stride: Government Departments are working together across a range of complex issues regarding the UK’s border when we leave the EU; these include the use of technology based solutions, where they support the administration of the customs systems or traders to meet their obligations.The Government will continue to consider potential applications of Distributed Ledger Technology, Blockchain and other emerging technologies for both tax and the customs and excise systems.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution on the motion on Section 13(1)(b) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 on 10th January 2019, Official Report, Column 574, whether he has received expert advice on the feasibility of technology solutions to create a frictionless border in Northern Ireland whilst facilitating a different customs arrangement between the UK and the EU than exists at present.

Mel Stride: The Government has been resolute in its commitments to Northern Ireland. This includes a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the UK and ensuring Northern Ireland and Great Britain are in the same customs territory. The Government will continue to consider the potential applications of technology, including Distributed Ledger Technology, Blockchain, and other emerging technologies, to streamline customs processes.

Office of Tax Simplification: Public Appointments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many candidates in addition to Bill Dodwell were interviewed for the role of Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification.

Mel Stride: A number of strong applications were received for the position of Tax Director of the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) and four candidates were interviewed. The appointment was made on merit.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the announcement that the Peterlee HMRC office closure will be delayed, which other HMRC offices will have their closures delayed; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: HMRC is confident that its overall strategy of moving to regional centres is correct. There are no current plans to retain any other offices for longer. HMRC does however recognise that its approach needs to be flexible to ensure it can respond to changing priorities, which may involve closing some offices earlier than originally planned or, as in the case of Peterlee, keeping other offices open later than planned. On 8 January 2019 HMRC published an updated version of the Locations Programme Issue Briefing on Gov.UK, setting out progress since the previous publication in 2015. HMRC has also recently updated the Office Closure List which was previously provided to the House of Commons Library in December 2017. It shows the closure year for each office as announced in November 2015 and the updated closure date as at 30 November 2018.

Transport: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  when the most recent meeting was held under the auspices of the Border Delivery Group with ports and airports in Northern Ireland.

Mel Stride: The Northern Ireland Borders Steering Group, run by the Borders Delivery Group and including ports and airports in Northern Ireland, met most recently on 7 December 2018.

Coinage

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent on designing the commemorative 50p coin to mark the UK leaving the EU.

Robert Jenrick: The cost of designing coins is met by the Royal Mint out of its own revenues. This is expected to be met by the revenues raised from the coin’s sale.

Coinage

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Royal Mint have for the commemorative 50p coin to mark the UK leaving the EU in the event that the date of the UK leaving the EU is postponed.

Robert Jenrick: The government’s policy is for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. The commemorative 50p to mark the UK leaving the European Union will become available following the UK’s departure.

Public Expenditure

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department’s policy to provide additional fiscal support to providers of public services should their costs change as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal and if (a) such inflationary effects have not been compensated by the Treasury and (b) the funding commitments referred to in response to Question 206791 have been deployed in full.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury is in regular discussion with departments and public-sector providers about the pressures they face. As a responsible government, we are committed to ensuring that all necessary preparations are made before the UK’s departure from the EU in March, for all scenarios – including ‘no-deal’. Any specific queries relating to the preparations of individual departments or public-sector providers should be made to the department in question. The funding commitments referred to in Question 206791 relate to two different financial years - 2018-19 and 2019-20. Funding will be confirmed through the estimates process in the relevant year.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) large and (b)medium-sized companies have used HMRC's profit diversion compliance facility in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: No multinational businesses have used the Profit Diversion Compliance Facility yet as it was only launched on 10 January 2019.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) how widespread social exclusion is in rural areas and (b) the effect of his Department’s policies on social exclusion in rural areas.

Mims Davies: Through the evidence gathered in the 2017-18 Community Life Survey in England, indicators linked to social exclusion do not show a significant difference between urban and rural areas. Adults living in rural areas are less likely to say that they often/always feel lonely than people living in urban areas (3% compared with 6%). In addition, adults living in rural areas are more likely to say they feel they belong to their immediate neighbourhood (68%) than those living in urban areas (61%). The cross-government loneliness team, based in DCMS, is overseeing the implementation of England’s first Loneliness Strategy, with policies for both rural and urban areas. Government has also unlocked £20 million to tackle loneliness across England including the £11.5m Building Connections Fund, from which evidence will be gathered on what interventions work in different places, including rural areas. Guidance has also been published with the Office for National Statistics to establish a consistent way of measuring loneliness. In its response to a House of Lords’ report on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act in May 2018, the government reiterated its commitment to rural proofing all policies. DCMS supports this through engagement with rural stakeholders and utilising Defra guidance and statistical information.

National Lottery: Grants

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will implement a review of the misuse of lottery grants for political and issue-based lobbying.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the recently reported £494,000 Big Lottery Fund grant to Stonewall (a) constitutes funding political lobbying and (b) broke the rules on political funding.

Mims Davies: Big Lottery Fund is an arms-length body that has its own independent decision making processes. It does not fund projects to undertake political lobbying. The £494,818 awarded to Stonewall is to develop trans leaders, to work with them to establish best practice and to develop their skills to deliver training and information for key public sector institutions. Big Lottery Fund is confident that the activity supported by this grant does not constitute political lobbying and does not break any rules on political funding.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fracking: Regulation

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many employees the new Shale Environmental Regulator Group plans to employ.

Claire Perry: The Shale Environmental Regulator Group is a virtual entity bringing together the regulators of the onshore oil and gas sector, including shale gas operations (the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive and the Oil and Gas Authority). Each of these regulators has the appropriate expertise and is properly resourced to enforce the regulations for which they are responsible. The Shale Environmental Regulator Group creates a single interface for Mineral Planning Authorities and industry, to streamline information access to the regulations, and three current employees of the Environment Agency have been deployed to support this new entity.

Fracking: Regulation

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what is the annual cost to the public purse will be of the Shale Environmental Regulator Group.

Claire Perry: The Shale Environmental Regulator Group (SERG) complements the existing regulatory regime and operates in a virtual capacity. This is afforded through existing budgets to the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and Oil and Gas Authority, with the exception of some specific incremental costs for three roles within the Environment Agency which cover activities for coordination and communications which are to be agreed annually. The cost within this first year for these roles is £75,000 and there have been no further additional roles or funding to any of the other regulators.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) how widespread social exclusion is in rural areas and (b) the effect of his Department’s policies on social exclusion in rural areas.

Kelly Tolhurst: In order to inform delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, the Department regularly reviews data and assessments relating to our cities, towns and rural areas, to understand both the challenges they face and the competitive advantages they hold. Our Ageing Society Grand Challenge includes £98 million of Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund investment into a ‘healthy ageing programme’, which will drive the development of new products and services to help people live in their homes longer, tackle loneliness and increase independence and wellbeing. BEIS is also supporting economic development and tackling regional disparities across the UK through the Strength in Places Fund, which received an additional £120 million of funding in Autumn Budget 2018. The programme supports businesses across the UK to adopt new technologies and to drive innovation-led growth, driving economic prosperity across all areas of the UK.

Energy Supply

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of Toshiba’s withdrawal from development of a nuclear power plant in Cumbria on the future delivery of a sustainable, secure and diverse energy sector.

Richard Harrington: This Government was the first to give the go ahead to a nuclear power station in a generation. The percentage of electricity generated by nuclear in 2010 was 16.4%, in 2017 it was 20.8% (DUKES, 2011 & 2018). We want to see a diverse range of sources for Britain’s energy production. Toshiba’s decision to withdraw from the Moorside project does not change this, and due to the long lead up time to the project it will not affect security of supply. Moorside still remains a potential site for new nuclear, and I am willing to meet with any viable proponents wishing to develop the site.

Green Deal Scheme: Misrepresentation

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ban businesses found to have mis-sold green deal products from setting up (a) similar and (b) linked businesses again.

Claire Perry: Green Deal Providers, who are responsible under the scheme for selling Green Deal Plans, must be authorised by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The authorisation process involves assessment of a wide range of factors, including the ability to comply with the Green Deal Framework Regulations and Code of Practice, in which past history of the applicant and its principals can be taken into account. Authorisation can be withdrawn if a firm is found to have breached the terms of the scheme or other consumer protection legislation. In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can remove or restrict a firm’s permission to engage in FCA-regulated activities, including consumer credit lending or broking, or take other supervisory or enforcement action against regulated firms and individuals. The Government is reviewing the Green Deal scheme and the interests of the consumer will be foremost in the review. We will consult on any significant changes to the scheme.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Biofuels

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average length of time is from submission of an application under the renewable heat incentive scheme for the installation of a biomass boiler to a final decision being made on that application.

Claire Perry: The tables below show the average time taken for successful (i.e. accredited) applications to receive a decision from first submission. However, for cases which are rejected, we do not currently hold data on rejection dates so are unable to provide this information.Non-Domestic RHI (accredited only), based on data to end-Nov 2018Average (mean) time between date of first submission and date of first approvalLarge Solid Biomass BoilerApproximately 9 monthsMedium Solid Biomass BoilerApproximately 5 monthsSmall Solid Biomass BoilerApproximately 4 months Domestic RHI (accredited only), based on data to end-Nov 2018Average (mean) time between submission date and accreditation dateBiomassUnder 1 month The table shows a longer time for non-domestic RHI applications to receive accreditation because the installations, and some of the rules, are relatively more complex than for domestic applications. More checks are therefore needed by Ofgem to ensure value for money for taxpayers.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many outstanding decision notices on applications under the renewable heat incentive scheme for the installation of a biomass boiler there are in (a) Scotland and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Claire Perry: We do not hold RHI data by Parliamentary constituency.At the end of November 2018 (the latest available data), there were 220 non-domestic biomass applications outstanding (i.e. not yet accredited or rejected from the scheme) and 20 domestic applications outstanding in Scotland.

Notice Boards: Standards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Office for Product Safety and Standards will investigate the manufacture, importation and installation of notice boards in schools, colleges and universities that are not fire safe compliant with European BS EN 13501 class B standard; and if he will publish the results of that investigation.

Kelly Tolhurst: There are no plans for an investigation into the safety of noticeboards, but should evidence emerge of a product safety issue, the Office for Product Safety and Standards would work with Local Authority Trading Standards to consider whether further action was required.

Business: Brexit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate it has made of the amount of money spent by businesses in the 4th Quarter of 2018 on preparing for leaving the EU without a deal.

Richard Harrington: The Government continues to prioritise work on achieving a good deal for the UK. BEIS is in regular contact with sectors and business stakeholders to ensure we understand their concerns. We are working to ensure that UK businesses are as well informed and prepared for leaving the EU as possible and to advise them on the steps they may need to take to prepare for EU exit. We have launched a public information campaign about how EU exit will affect businesses and the practical steps they will need to take to be ready. The campaign directs them to GOV.UK/euexit where they can easily find the latest advice and information on any aspect of leaving the EU which affects them and outlines the steps they need to take.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Social Services: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 11 January 2019 to Question 206287 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Oral Questions, for what reason the Government decided to transfer responsibility for children's services to the Department for Education.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for Education has responsibility for children’s services. My Department remains responsible for local government policy and funding. There has been no recent machinery of government change transferring responsibility on any aspects of children’s services policy from my Department to the Department for Education.

Local Government Finance: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the request made in November 2018 by hon. Members representing Birmingham to meet to discuss his instruction to Birmingham City Council prohibiting further access to its reserves.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many officials in his Department are assigned to work on fire safety and issues related to the Grenfell Tower fire.

Kit Malthouse: MHCLG has 198.31 full time equivalent (FTE) officials working directly on fire safety and issues related to the Grenfell Tower fire. We also recognise that there are associated FTE officials working on these issues that come as normal in running any department, however we have not included these in our calculations.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what conclusions he has made on the extent of non-ACM flammable cladding in high rise buildings following the Government’s recent research on that subject.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the findings of the Government's commissioned research into non-ACM flammable cladding will be published.

Kit Malthouse: We expect building owners to be systematically reviewing the safety of their buildings as a matter of course. In consultation with the Independent Expert Advisory Panel, the Government has provided advice to building owners about common non-Aluminium Cladding Material (ACM) external wall systems, including ones using Metal Composite Materials, High Pressure Laminates (HPL) or External Wall Insulation (EWI) with a render or brick-slip finish.The Research commissioned into Non-ACM cladding has not yet completed. We expect to receive a final report in the spring.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the future difficulties that may potentially arise from the ban on combustible cladding when buildings are subject to change of use, such as a non-residential building changing to a multi-occupancy dwelling.

Kit Malthouse: My Department published an impact assessment alongside the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018 which set out the ban on combustible materials in external walls. This includes an analysis of the impact of the regulations on changes of use. The impact assessment is available on-line at www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1230/pdfs/uksiod_20181230_en.pdf.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement on 29 November 2018 on Grenfell update, HCWS1126, how much money his Department has allocated to support local authorities in undertaking emergency remedial work to remediate unsafe aluminium composite material cladding.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is providing funding so that local authorities and housing associations can focus their efforts on making their buildings safe without impacting negatively on other services, improvements to housing quality or new supply.We have committed to funding fully the removal and replacement of dangerous Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding on residential social housing buildings over 18 metres owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million. We have so far allocated £248 million to replace cladding on 135 buildings.Where, as part of the enforcement action, local authorities take emergency action themselves to remediate high rise private sector residential building with unsafe ACM cladding then the Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to recover reasonably incurred expenses, with interest.The Government is committed to supporting local authorities to ensure that such private-sector buildings are remediated, including financial support to take emergency remedial action if that is necessary. Local authorities finding themselves in this position should approach my Department to discuss what support may be needed.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Disclosure of Information

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2006.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2007.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2008.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2009.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2010.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2011.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2012.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2005.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2013.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2014.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2015.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2016.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2017.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department entered into in 2018.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information, broken down by year, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to reach a final conclusion on the effect on veterans' health of the issuing of Larium to them while they were in the Armed Forces.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service personnel and (b) veterans his Department has referred to the Mefloquine Single Point of Contact in each year since it’s inception.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Mefloquine (commercially known as Lariam) is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria and is licensed for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medication in the UK. The current product information for mefloquine states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. It also states that such adverse reactions may persist for months, or longer, even after discontinuation of the drug. It has not been established, however, that such adverse reactions may be permanent. Notwithstanding, in September 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) established the mefloquine Single Point of Contact (SPOC) email and telephone line, for both current and former Service personnel who have concerns about their experience of mefloquine. Up to 15 January 2019, the mefloquine SPOC has received the following number of enquiries. YearEnquiries from Serving PersonnelEnquiries from VeteransEnquiries from OthersTotal Number of Enquiries201624332279201731051820184761720190101 Individuals can be referred to the SPOC in a number of different ways, including by Service charities. The MOD does not maintain a record of all such referrals.

Israel: Arms Trade

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK-supplied military equipment has been used by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since February 2018.

Stuart Andrew: Military items sold to other countries by the UK require export licences. Export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all prevailing circumstances at the time of the application. Signed end user undertakings from the intended recipient, about the intended end use, form part of our consideration but we do not rely solely on these when making our assessment. Following events in 2018 on the Israel/Gaza border the Government reviewed all extant military export licences for Israel. We have no information to indicate that UK-supplied equipment has been used in a way that is inconsistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The Government continues to monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely.

Gibraltar: Spain

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on challenging incursions into Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish state vessels.

Mark Lancaster: We are confident of UK sovereignty over the whole of Gibraltar, including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Royal Navy continues to challenge incursions by State vessels, including Spanish State vessels, into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, and the FCO support this by making formal diplomatic protests to the relevant authorities.

Gibraltar: Spain

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what actions UK (a) armed forces units and (b) vessels are permitted to take in order to challenge incursions into Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish state vessels.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not comment on Rules of Engagement.

Navy: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether units in the Royal Navy or Royal Marines receive regular training in the use and operation of paintball weapons.

Gavin Williamson: The Naval Service does not conduct training in the use or operation of paintball weapons.

Government Departments: Secondment

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether military planners have been seconded to other Departments to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

Mark Lancaster: To date, a total of 23 military planners have been posted to other Whitehall Departments to assist with contingency planning for leaving the EU. Military planners offer unique skills and operational planning experience and will be involved in a variety of tasks tailored to the needs of the requesting Department.

Scotland Office

Exports: Scotland

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the value is of exports of goods and services from Scotland which are currently governed by WTO rules.

David Mundell: Official figures show that total international and rest of the UK exports in 2016 (excluding oil and gas) were estimated at £75.6 billion. Exports to the rest of the UK accounted for 61 per cent of this total (or £45.8bn) and international exports accounted for 39 per cent (or £29.8bn). Both the European Union (EU) and the individual EU countries are members of the WTO. The EU has bilateral trade and investment relationships with a great number of countries, including Scotland’s top international export destination valued at £4.8bn, the USA.

Scotland Office: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of (a) how widespread social exclusion is in rural areas and (b) the effect of his Department’s policies on social exclusion in rural areas.

David Mundell: The main levers by which to address social exclusion in Scotland lie within the devolved competence of the Scottish parliament. However, my office regularly discuss these matters with other government departments, devolved bodies and stakeholders. Additionally, the cross-government team on tackling loneliness are working with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations to ensure our work is complementary and to share insights and learn from one another.

Scotland Office: Brexit

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much money his Department has allocated for preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal to date; how much of that funding has been made by way of ministerial direction; and for what functions that funding has been allocated.

David Mundell: As part of preparations for a successful EU exit, the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has been allocated additional EU exit funding. Information for the financial year 2019-20, covering both my Department and the Office of the Advocate General, was set out by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in her written statement of 18 December 2018 (HCWS1205):https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/ Information for the financial year 2018-19, covering both my Department and the Office of the Advocate General, was set out by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in her written statement of 13 March 2018 (HCWS540):https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/ Information for the financial year 2017-18, covering both my Department and the Office of the Advocate General, was set out in the Treasury’s Supplementary Estimates 2017-18 which can be found here (p497):https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf The Department holds no estimate of what it has spent on no deal preparations, which cannot readily be separated from other EU exit and devolution functions in general. This funding has not been the result of a ministerial direction.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many specialist trade negotiators have been appointed by his Department in each month since July 2016.

George Hollingbery: Since the Department was created its Trade Policy Group (TPG) has grown to Approximately 470 people at the end of October 2018, bringing together trade policy, country specialists and experts on trade policy issues. A number of DIT staff in offshore posts are also undertaking work on market access trade policy issues.  Typically, a trade negotiation will involve teams of differing sizes, with expertise relevant to the specific chapters or sectors being negotiated as part of that agreement which will differ for each but will be drawn primarily from DIT TPG. The exact make up will depend on the complexity and scope of any agreement and would be staffed by DIT policy officials with the involvement of expertise from other Departments. These officials are not designated negotiators specifically. In addition other DIT staff will also be involved in supporting the negotiators and for instance, handling relations with Parliament and external stakeholders.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January to Question 205795 on Department for International Trade: Brexit, when his Department plans to publish the data transparency releases referred to in that answer.

George Hollingbery: All spending over £25,000 is published in line with current guidance on a monthly basis.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the level of social exclusion is in rural areas; and what assessment his Department has made of the link between social exclusion and access to public transport in rural areas.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In December 2018 the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published their annual digest of statistics on a range of social and economic subject areas. This survey also shows that levels of belonging are, in fact, 10% higher in rural areas. However, we acknowledge that for some, a lack of public transport can prevent people from having the social connections that they want, particularly in rural areas. The Department for Transport is one of five government departments to have loneliness added to the ministerial portfolio, and sits on the cross-government group which takes responsibility for driving action on social exclusion.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce noise pollution emitted from car exhausts.

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent car owners from altering their cars to emit more noise.

Jesse Norman: Technical standards for noise for new cars are set at an International level by both the European Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Under these technical regulations the noise limits for new models of passenger car were reduced by 2 decibels in 2016, and will be further reduced by 2 decibels in 2020 and again in 2024. Once a car is in service, UK regulations require exhausts and silencers to be maintained in good working order and not altered so as to increase noise. The Department for Transport has commissioned research into enforcement measures and technologies with the potential to combat excessive noise from road vehicles.

A34: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve safety on the A34 in Oxfordshire.

Jesse Norman: Highways England have undertaken an in-depth safety review of the A34 to identify incident ‘hot spots’ and to establish their causes.They have made their recommendations to the Department of Transport on a package of safety improvements for the A34. The improvements remain on track for the start of works in 2019/20. As with all such schemes, the package remains subject to a positive value for money assessment at the end of the development process, before the start of construction.

Cherwell Valley Railway Line: Electrification

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September to Question 167383 on Cherwell Valley Railway Line: Electrification, when he expects the publication of the timetable for a decision to be made on the future electrification of the railway line between Oxford and Didcot Parkway.

Andrew Jones: The scheme referred to is currently under consideration as part of Network Rail’s Control Period 6 portfolio. As the National Audit Office have said, it is right to continually assess the investment decisions in our programme of railway upgrades, to deliver passenger benefits in the best way possible and give both passengers and taxpayers maximum value.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Tickets

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the implementation of part-time season tickets on the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise will require in-franchise changes to the contract agreed with GTR; what estimate he has made of the costs of implementing part-time season tickets on that franchise; who will meet the cost of that implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have an obligation within their Franchise Agreement to introduce carnet-based season tickets on their smart card ticket “The Key”. Any set up and ongoing operational costs would be the responsibility of GTR, and any revenue impact the responsibility of the Department as all GTR farebox revenue passes to the Department under the GTR contract. Work is ongoing to develop options for a carnet season ticket and understand the impact these tickets would have on revenue.

Electric Vehicles: Hydrogen

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle sector on the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises that hydrogen fuel cell technology has an important part to play in the transition towards a decarbonised transport network. Based on current market developments, fuel cells fall outside the scope of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, which will focus on the electricity system and the potential impact of plug-in electric vehicles on both the distribution and transmission systems. However, the Government will keep this point under review as the market develops over time.

Ports: Freight

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average time taken for a freight carrier to pass through a UK port in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: None. This information is not held centrally.

Road Traffic Control: West Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Highways England carried out a formally authorised Walking, Cycling and Horseriding Assessment and Review of the proposed alternatives to the Sussex Pad road crossing as part of the New Marks Farm Development that was recently approved by the planning committee of Adur Council.

Jesse Norman: In accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, a Walking, Cycling and Horseriding Review will be carried out before the start of the detailed design of the proposals.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the report of the Rail Decarbonisation Taskforce.

Andrew Jones: The report will be published by the Rail Decarbonisation Taskforce, not by the Department, in the coming weeks.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he had issued to the operator of the Southeastern rail franchise in relation to potential disruption as a result of a requirement for additional paths for rail freight services to Dover and Folkstone in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: We have not issued any guidance to Southeastern in relation to arrangements for cross-border rail freight services in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. This is because potential contingency options we are currently exploring would not disrupt passenger services and do not involve any changes to passenger services.

Ramsgate Port: Dredging

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of dredging for the Port of Ramsgate; and whether that cost is included in the funding of the contract awarded to Seaborne Freight.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to UIN 205175.

Ramsgate Port

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new or (b) reconstituted border inspection facilities at the Port of Ramsgate.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Port of Ramsgate is working in liaison with UK Border Force on the provision of appropriate border inspection facilities should they be required. Specific estimates will be determined in due course.

Channel Ferries: Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Deloitte, (b) Slaughter and May and (c) Mott MacDonald were paid to undertake due diligence assessment work as part of the freight ferry preparations in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The contracts remain live, so it is not yet possible to determine the total of fees paid.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been provided to the London Borough of Redbridge to tackle potholes in each year since 2010; and how that funding compares with the average funding allocated in each year to local authorities in (a) Greater London and (b) England.

Jesse Norman: The responsibility for local highways maintenance in London, including repairing potholes, is a devolved matter and therefore falls to Transport for London and the London Boroughs. Since 2010, the Department for Transport has allocated London Boroughs with additional funding to help repair potholes, as set out in the table below: Financial Year £mFunding StreamRedbridgeTotal for London 2010/11Severe Weather0.1243.3872010/11Winter 20110.27010.2842013/14Winter 2014 (paid to TfL) 10.0002014/15Pothole Fund0.32510.0002017/18Budget – additional funding0.0642.2342018/19Budget – highways maintenance additional funding0.55020.000Total 1.33355.905‘Total for London’ includes Redbridge figure. Funding for local highway authorities in England, outside London, for highways maintenance, which includes pothole repair, is available on the Department for Transport website. The latest information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/roads-funding-information-pack

Motorcycles: Safety

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 189742 to Question 189742 on Motorcycles: Safety, when he plans to publish the refreshed Road Safety Statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department intends to publish the refreshed Road Safety Statement later this year.

Airports: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2019 to Question 205973 on Airports: Unmanned Air Vehicles, what consultations the Government undertook prior to implementing the 400 ft height and 1 km radius exclusion zone on the use of drones adjacent to airports.

Jesse Norman: From December 2016 – March 2017 the Department sought views on drones in our consultation “Unlocking the UK's High Tech Economy: Consultation on the Safe Use of drones in the UK”. Almost 700 responses were received, including from airports, airlines, GA pilots and drone users. The Department’s response to that consultation (July 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/benefits-of-drones-to-the-uk-economy) sets out its intention to ban the use of drones within a certain distance of airports and to ban flights above 400ft. Amendments to the Air Navigation Order (ANO 2016) were then made in May 2018 introducing the 400ft limit and the interim 1km airport restriction. Following the Department’s most recent public consultation, the Government will now amend the ANO to extend the 1km restriction to protect the aerodrome traffic zones of protected airports, and to add 5km long runway protection zones at the end of each runway. This was set out on 7 January 2019 in the Government Response to “Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK”.

Goring and Streatley Station: Disability

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the status is of the application made under the Access for All programme in relation to Goring and Streatley station.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Goring and Streatley station has not been nominated for the current round of Access for All funding as it already has step free access to and between all platforms.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Libya: Conferences

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) timing, (b) UK representation and (c) UK objectives for the UN-led national conference on Libya.

Alistair Burt: ​We fully support the next steps in the UN Action Plan for Libya, as set out by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, including plans to convene a wide range of Libyan stakeholders at a National Conference in early 2019. We continue to engage with UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on preparatory work for the National Conference and support the objective of ensuring that a broad spectrum of Libyan society is represented. It is not yet clear whether international participation will be appropriate.

USA: State Visits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 196147 on USA: State Visits and with reference to his Department's data Costs relating to State and Guest of Government visits, when information relating to the July 2018 visit to the UK of US President Donald Trump will be published on the gov.uk website.

Sir Alan Duncan: Information on the cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for President Trump's Guest of Government visit will be published on the gov.uk website in the next few weeks.

Egypt: Ethnic Groups

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the welfare of Nubian people residing in Egypt.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further discussions he plans to have with his Egyptian counterpart on human rights abuses in relation to the Nubian minority in that country.

Alistair Burt: ​We continue to monitor issues and cases involving Nubians and other minorities within Egypt. Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK and the UK wants to see more political progress and better protection of human rights for all Egyptians. We call on the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights set out in Egypt's constitution.

Sudan: Ethnic Groups

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Sudanese counterpart on the welfare of Nubian people residing in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: The British Government has no separate engagement with the Government of Sudan related to the Nubian people. However, we engage frequently with the Government of Sudan to improve the lives and human rights of all people in Sudan. The UK is one of largest humanitarian donors to Sudan, committed to providing lifesaving aid to millions of the most vulnerable.

Sudan: Syria

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for British foreign policy of the decision of President Bashir of Sudan decision to meet with President Bashar al-Assad.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK's position on Syria is unchanged: we believe the Asad regime lost all legitimacy due to its atrocities against the Syrian people. We have no plans to re-establish ties with the regime or reopen our embassy in Damascus absent a negotiated political settlement. We have expressed our disappointment to the Government of Sudan at the visit of President Bashir to Damascus. I conveyed that disappointment to Acting Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri on 19 December.

Guatemala: Politics And Government

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of effect on Guatemala of that country's withdrawal from the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK has been a vocal advocate of the anti-corruption efforts and the valuable work carried out by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to support and strengthen Guatemalan national institutions. The UK is deeply disappointed at the Guatemalan Government's continued attempts to prevent CICIG from carrying out its mandate, and the attacks on the Constitutional Court which threaten to undermine the rule of law in Guatemala in a year when general elections will be held. In response, I [Sir Alan Duncan] released a statement on 14 January. The UK also joined statements from the EU and the G13 local donor group condemning Guatemala's decision to unilaterally terminate the agreement establishing CICIG and urging the Guatemalan Government to uphold the rule of law. The UK will continue to monitor developments, through our Embassy in Guatemala, and call upon the Guatemalan Government to allow CICIG to complete its mandate and ensure the security of its staff.

Philippines: Human Rights

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Philippines on the safety of human rights defenders in that country.

Mark Field: The UK remains concerned about reports of human rights abuses in the Philippines, including the treatment of human rights defenders, journalists and land rights campaigners. We have consistently called on the Government of the Philippines to ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders.I raised these concerns with Philippines Ministers, including the then Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano, during my most recent visit to Manila in August 2018.Senior FCO officials also raised human rights with the Philippines Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo during the UK - Philippine High Level Talks that took place in Manila on 19 November 2018.At the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018, we urged the Philippines to conduct thorough investigations into killings associated with the "war on drugs" and to ensure the safety of land rights defenders.

Syria: Turkey

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on which UK-supplied military equipment has been used by Turkey in Syria.

Sir Alan Duncan: It is not realistic to track proactively the use of specific items after export.

Members: Correspondence

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the letter to him of 27 September 2018 from Marom UK on Marom Budapest and its community centre Aurora, what response he has made to that letter.

Mark Field: FCO officials met the Board of Deputies of British Jews on 9 January. The Board of Deputies made representations on behalf of the Marom organisation about the Aurora building in Budapest. A substantive response reflecting the outcome of the meeting was sent on 15 January 2019, that underlined that the UK remains committed to strengthening international co-operation across Europe to tackle antisemitism and ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.We welcome Hungary's stated commitment to address and eliminate antisemitism and all forms of racism.

Sudan: Arrests and Violence

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of violence and (b) number of arrests currently occurring in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Reports of the number of detainees, deaths and injuries vary and are difficult to confirm. The UK remains deeply concerned by the level of violence used by the Government of Sudan to disperse peaceful protests, and that political activists, human rights defenders, journalists and others are being detained without charge or trial. We continue to urge the Government of Sudan at the highest levels to respect the Sudanese people's right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and have called for all detainees to be treated in accordance with international standards and afforded their full legal rights guaranteed in Sudanese law.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the UK Government is making and to whom on behalf of British citizens who travelled to Syria for humanitarian, personal or religious reasons and have subsequently been trapped within Daesh territory.

Alistair Burt: ​Since 2012, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all travel to Syria and made clear that, with the closure of our Embassy in Damascus, we are unable to provide consular assistance to British nationals in Syria. We do not generally comment on the detail of individual consular cases.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department is spending on a public information campaign to prepare people for the potential effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mark Field: The Government has a duty to inform citizens and businesses about how leaving the EU might affect them, and to advise on the steps they may need to take to prepare for EU Exit.We have developed a cross-departmental public information campaign to help achieve this. Over the coming weeks, we will be using a range of channels to direct UK citizens, businesses, EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU to a dedicated area on GOV.UK at Gov.uk/EUexitInformation on the costs associated with this campaign will be released in due course as part the normal data transparency releases by the Cabinet Office.

Thailand: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with representatives of the Government of Thailand on the political situation in that country.

Mark Field: We have regular discussions at Ministerial and senior official level with the Thai authorities on political developments in Thailand. We expect elections to be held before May 2019, and we look forward to the precise date being confirmed soon. We welcomed the Thai government’s lifting of some political restrictions on 11 December. But it is important that this leads to a free and open environment in which elections can occur. The Prime Minister raised this with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha during his visit to the UK in June, as did the Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Mark Field MP, with the Thai Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the UK, General Chatchalerm, on 13 December.​

Mediterranean Sea: Refugees

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya.

Sir Alan Duncan: 2018 saw an 80 percent reduction, comapred to 2014 in the number of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy – from 119,000 in 2017 to 23,000 in 2018, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) figures. The number of fatalities on the central route has not reduced by the same rate. According to UNHCR the proportion of dead and missing compared to the number of arrivals doubled in 2018 to 5.6 percent from 2.4 percent in 2017. The largest proportion of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa during 2018 continued to be from Libya, although the proportion crossing from Tunisia increased during 2018. The European Commission reports the Italian Ministry of Interior as stating that 56 percent of migrants heading for Italy departed from Libya.

Papua: Violence

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on the escalation of violence in West Papua at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.

Mark Field: The UK Government is Monitoring the situation in Papua with close interest. Officials at our Embassy in Jakarta, including the Ambassador, visit Papua regularly. Officials press the Indonesian authorities to address legitimate human rights concerns, including upholding the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, and ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the province, through political dialogue. We have made no specific representations about the violence in December. The UK respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia.​

Royal Family: Official Gifts

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on gifts for members of the Royal Family to disburse in each year since 2009.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays for official gifts during Inward State Visits and for gifts from Members of the Royal Family when they travel on official overseas visits on behalf of the FCO.We cannot give an exact amount of the costs of gifts, as our accounting system only shows the aggregated costs (for example accommodation, food, local transport together with gifts) for such visits.

British Nationals Abroad: Homicide

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British citizens who have died abroad as a result of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter in each year since 2000.

Harriett Baldwin: We estimate there are approximately 60-90 new cases of British nationals who have died abroad as a result of murder or manslaughter reported to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office every year. Our current case management system includes data from 2008 only and does not differentiate between murder and manslaughter. These figures can be found below: 2008 – 662009 – 682010 – 682011 – 782012 – 532013 – 782014 – 842015 – 882016 – 652017 – 742018 - 73

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department are working on his Department’s plans for the UK to leave the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: Through Treasury EU Exit funding and a process of internal reprioritisation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has created approximately 550 EU Exit roles in the UK and overseas. We have used these roles to strengthen our diplomatic network in the UK and across Europe so that we are better able to represent and promote British interests and engage with our European partners in support of a successful EU Exit. In addition, we have a number of other staff working on a range of EU Exit planning issues as part of their wider responsibilities.

Turkey: Human Rights

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Government of Turkey on its international obligations to maintain human rights.

Sir Alan Duncan: We regularly raise human rights issues with the Turkish Government at all levels, including between the Prime Minister and President Erdoǧan. This includes both discussion of individual cases of concern, and the wider importance of guaranteeing fundamental rights for all citizens, notably freedom of expression and assembly. Our Embassy in Ankara has discussed such concerns with Turkish officials this January and we will continue to do so as necessary in the future.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Brexit

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department is spending on a public information campaign to prepare people for the potential effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Alistair Burt: DFID has not spent any money and is taking a no-cost approach to ensuring our stakeholders are briefed on the potential effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Department for Education

Midwives: Training

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was paid in (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance loans with respect to students undertaking undergraduate midwifery courses (a) in total and (b) on average per student midwife in each academic year since 2016-17; and what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of such loans that will be repaid by people who received them.

Chris Skidmore: Information on the loans paid to students on higher education courses is published annually by the Student Loans Company in the statistics publication Student Support for Higher Education in England.https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx. A breakdown of these statistics by subject of study is not available. Information on the proportion of student loans not expected to be repaid is published annually by the department in the statistics publication Student Loan Forecasts, England.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loan-forecasts-england-2017-to-2018. A breakdown of these statistics by subject of study is not available.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have held with stakeholders from the apprenticeships sector in the last 12 months; and what the principal topics for discussion were at those meetings.

Anne Milton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, ministers and department officials meet with stakeholders from across the apprenticeships sector frequently to discuss the apprenticeships agenda, including employers, business representative organisations and providers. This includes a regular meeting between my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and national business bodies.Stakeholder meetings cover a variety of topics across the apprenticeships programme. The department will continue to work closely with all key stakeholders to help them take advantage of apprenticeships and the apprenticeship reform programme to invest in the long-term skills needs of the country.

Schools: Scotland

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools in Scotland receive funding from his Department for English children who attend those schools.

Nick Gibb: Schools in Scotland do not receive funding from the Department to educate English pupils attending there. Similarly, where Scottish pupils attend English schools, the Scottish Government does not pay for this.Education is a devolved matter. The way funding is allocated to Scottish schools is a matter for the Scottish Government. In England, schools receive funding for the number of pupils attending the school, regardless of where the pupil resides.

Special Educational Needs: Autism

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average waiting time was for a child to be assessed for an Education, Health and Care Plan after receiving a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in (a) the London Borough of Lewisham, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.Under the Children and Families Act (2014), parents and schools can apply for an assessment for an education, health and care (EHC) plan without the need for a diagnosis to have already been made.Data is collected by the department on assessments for EHC plans that are completed within their 20-week target. This is published in the ‘Statements of special educational needs and EHC plans: England, 2018’ publication available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018.

Pre-school Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of men working in early years education.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department’s ‘Early Years Workforce Strategy’ (published March 2017) included a commitment to set up a gender diversity task and finish group of sector stakeholders to consider this issue in more depth. The group has shared its findings with the department and we are currently considering how best to address the issue of gender diversity in the early years workforce.

Students: Grants

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on the public purse of replacing university maintenance grants with larger maintenance loans in every year since that change was introduced in 2016-17.

Chris Skidmore: An assessment was made at Summer Budget 2015 of the costs of replacing maintenance grants with loans for all full-time higher education students from the 2016/17 entry cohort. The then former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Jo Johnson, my hon. Friend for Orpington said in the House of Commons Debate about Student Maintenance Grants on 19 January 2016 (c1308) that:“The switch from maintenance grants to loans will, in a steady state, save around £2.5 billion per year from the fiscal deficit. […] We acknowledge that a proportion of the loans will not be repaid. This is a conscious decision to invest in the skills base of our country, and protect those who go on to lower-paying graduate jobs. We forecast that the long-term annual economic savings will be around £800 million per year.”An equality analysis was also published by the government in November 2015, which included analysis of the impacts of the change from maintenance grants to loans: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482110/bis-15-639-student-finance-equality-analysis.pdf.There has been no further analysis of the impact of this policy, as current student loan expenditure and repayment will be impacted by all the policy changes which have been enacted since this date.A review of post-18 education and funding is underway. This is being informed by independent advice from an expert panel, chaired by Philip Augar. The panel have undertaken an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement and evidence gathering. They will report in 2019 before government concludes the overall review.

Notice Boards: Fires

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will conduct a comparative fire risk assessment of school notice boards which meet European BS EN 13501 (a) class B and (b) class E standard; and if he will publish the results of that assessment.

Nick Gibb: For all Department for Education delivered school buildings, the Department sets out the design and construction requirements in its specification documents including the fire safety requirements for notice boards. As part of the annual review of that specification, the department will be assessing the current approach to classification of notice boards.

Department for Education: Public Bodies

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff at the (a) Education and Skills Funding Agency, (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission, (c) Standards and Testing Agency, (d) Student Loans Company and (e) Teaching Regulation Agency (i) inside and (ii) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the London Living Wage.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff at the (a) Education and Skills Funding Agency, (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission, (c) Standards and Testing Agency, (d) Student Loans Company and (e) Teaching Regulation Agency (i) inside and (ii) outside Greater London are paid at a rate below the Real Living Wage.

Anne Milton: ​​Staff in the department and its executive agencies, including the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standards and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, are all paid at least the Real Living Wage regardless of location.All staff based inside Greater London are paid at least the London Living Wage. There are 101 staff based outside Greater London that are paid below the London Living Wage but all of these staff are paid the Real Living Wage.The Student Loans Company is one of the department’s non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and we do not hold data on their staff and their rates of pay.​The Equality and Human Rights Commission is no longer an NDPB of the department. They are sponsored by the Government Equalities Office who are housed within the Department for International Development.

Free School Meals

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students aged 16 to 19 are eligible for (a) free school meals and (b) free meals in further education.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not publish data on the total number of pupils eligible for free meals in further education. Data is only published from those institutions who provide census returns including state-funded secondary schools, special schools, pupil referral units and local authority alternative provision. The published data shows the total number of students aged 16 to 19 who were eligible for and claiming free school meals in January 2018 is 32,215. A more detailed breakdown is available in the national tables document of the 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2018' statistical release here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018.

Students: Loans

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money was paid back from student loan repayments in each of the last three years.

Chris Skidmore: Statistics covering student loans, debt and repayment are published annually by the Student Loans Company. Separate statistics are published for each administration. Information on repayments by financial year can be found in table 1 of each of the publications available below:https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disadvantaged

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) how widespread social exclusion is in rural areas and (b) the effect of his Department’s policies on social exclusion in rural areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: This is a devolved matter and the below refers to England only. Through the evidence gathered in the 2017-18 Community Life Survey in England, indicators linked to social exclusion do not show a significant difference between urban and rural areas. Adults living in rural areas are less likely to say that they feel they often/always feel lonely than people living in urban areas (3% compared with 6%). In addition, adults living in rural areas are more likely to say they feel they belong to their immediate neighbourhood (68%) than those living in urban areas (61%). The cross-Government team on tackling loneliness is working with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations to ensure our work is complementary and to share insights and learn from one another. Defra publishes the Statistical Digest of Rural England, a collection of statistics on a range of social and economic themes including poverty and well-being. The Digest allows for comparisons between rural and urban areas and is updated throughout the year. The Digest is available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-digest-of-rural-england   In its response to a House of Lords’ report on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act in May 2018, the Government reiterated its commitment to rural proofing all policies from the earliest stages so that they take account of the needs and circumstances of rural areas. Defra supports this through the provision of guidance and statistical information.

Animal Welfare

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to restrict the tethering of (a) horses and (b) other animals; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), it is an offence to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare or to cause it any unnecessary suffering. In relation to equines, the 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code). The Code provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their horses and includes a specific section on how to tether a horse.Local authorities have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty or poor welfare. In addition, welfare organisations such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare (WHW) may also investigate such matters. If anyone is concerned about the way a horse or other animal has been tethered, they should report the matter either to the relevant local authority, or to the RSPCA or WHW who can investigate. If a horse or other animal is found not to be tethered appropriately, this could lead to a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.I consider that the existing legislation and guidance in place in respect of tethering of horses ensures their welfare needs are met appropriately.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the higher level Environmental Stewardship Agreement which have lasted for 10 years were amended as a result of a care visit.

George Eustice: 311 Higher Level Environmental Stewardship agreements that have lasted 10 years were amended as a result of a care visit.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many higher level environmental stewardship agreements have completed 10 years and of these how many have had (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five or more aftercare visits.

George Eustice: So far 1892 higher level stewardship agreements have lasted the full ten years of their term. Of these agreements and since central records began: 832 received one visit, 423 received two visits, 226 received three visits, 99 received four visits, 97 received five or more visits.

Air Pollution

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £3.5 million to improve air quality has been spent to date and on what measures; how much money allocated to specific measures is yet to be spent and what those specific measures are; and how much outstanding funding is yet to be allocated to specific measures.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations (NO2), setting out how we will achieve compliance in the shortest possible time, is supported by a £3.5 billion investment into air quality and cleaner transport over 2010 to 2021. This investment includes: £1.5 billion to support the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles to 2021 (including elements funded from the National Productivity Investment Fund). As of December 2017 £862.8m had been disbursed.£1.2 billion – for the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. As of December 2017 £555m had been disbursed.£495 million Implementation Fund and Clean Air Fund to support councils in the 2017 Plan of which £40m was disbursed as of March 2018 (including the Air Quality Grant for 16/17 and 17/18).£100 million disbursed to Highways England for air quality as part of the Road Investment Strategy.£89 million disbursed for the Green Bus Fund from 2010 to 2013 for low emission buses.£40 million allocated through the Clean Bus Technology Fund 2017-19.£27 million allocated through the Clean Bus Technology Fund 2013 & 2015 and Clean Vehicle Fund 2014 and other bus retrofitting.An additional £7 million disbursed through the Air Quality Grant to local authorities to support air quality from 2011 to 2015.

Reindeer: Imports

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reindeer in how many consignments and from which countries were imported into the UK in 2018; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The number of reindeer and the number of consignments imported into the UK in 2018 is as follows: Country fromConsignmentsAnimalsFinland131Germany11Netherlands1152018 Total347 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are not able to provide any data regarding the number of imports from third countries, as these are covered by a commodity code in TRACES which will not allow us to break the species down as far as reindeer for third country imports.

Reindeer: Exports

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reindeer in how many consignments and to which countries were exported from the UK in 2018; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The number of reindeer and the number of consignments exported from the UK in 2018 is as follows:  Country of DestinationNumber of ConsignmentsNumber of ReindeersFrance12  The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can access information using TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) for species of animals that require a health certificate for movement to the EU. APHA records Export Health Certificates (EHC) issued for animals to third countries that do not use the TRACES system. There are no exports of reindeer to third countries recorded in 2018.

Plastics: Recycling

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase plastic reprocessing in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In the recently published Resources and Waste Strategy, the Government stated its ambition to further improve domestic reprocessing, and committed to several policies to help stimulate investment in UK reprocessing capacity and improve competitiveness. These policies, subject to consultation, include: implementing extended producer responsibility for various waste streams; introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers; raising recycling targets for plastic and other types of packaging; implementing a tax on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content; and exploring options to ensure fair competition for all reprocessors, including tighter monitoring and enforcement of waste exports.

Waste: Exports

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of waste that the UK exports.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Waste must be properly managed whether processed at home or abroad. We work closely with the waste industry, Environment Agency and local authorities to achieve this. The Government outlines in the Resources and Waste Strategy its commitment to prevent waste from occurring in the first place, and managing it better when it does. The UK is recycling more than ever and the Government is committed to recycling more at home. Our approach in the Resources and Waste Strategy, from production through consumption to end of life, is focused on increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. This will grow the UK recycling industry and reduce the need to export recyclable waste. Waste is a commodity and these secondary materials will always have a global market and exports from the UK will form an ongoing part of our resource management where there is demand. We also want to ensure, however, that any waste which we do send abroad is fit for recycling, and that it is recycled to equivalent standards as required in the UK. Increased monitoring and enforcement of exports should create a more level playing field for domestic recyclers.

Sheep Meat: Northumbria

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the Northumbrian lamb industry in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal and tariffs on its products are imposed.

George Eustice: It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the EU and that is exactly what we are committed to. Whilst preparing for all outcomes, as any responsible government would, we are also preparing for the possibility of no deal.We are in close contact with the sheep sector across the UK working to understand and anticipate the effects on the sector of the UK leaving the EU without a trade deal. Significant work is already underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets after March 2019.

*No heading*

Jo Swinson: When his Department plans to respond to its consultation entitled Food labelling: amending laws.

David Rutley: Defra intends to provide a summary of responses and the Government response by 7 February as set out on the consultation web page.

*No heading*

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: What recent discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the protection of endangered species.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Ministers regularly meet with the Foreign Secretary to discuss international species conservation issues. Our close working delivered the highly successful Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London in October last year, which brought together global leaders to drive forward action to end this despicable trade. Our ban on ivory sales through the Ivory Act is one of the toughest in the world and demonstrates our joint leadership to galvanise action around the world.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Anguilla: Saint Martin

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the merits of the proposal from the Government of Anguilla for a customs union and common travel area with St Martin.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government fully understands the importance of economic and personal links between St Martin/Sint Maarten and Anguilla and the Government is working closely with the Government of Anguilla on all aspects of Brexit. We are working with the Government of Anguilla on all related issues including around the flow of goods, services and people between St Martin/Sint Maarten and Anguilla.The movement of both British citizens and British Overseas Territories citizens between Anguilla and St Martin should continue under the existing bilateral arrangements which provide visa-free access for short stays up to 90 days and do not depend on the UK’s EU membership. We will continue to work with Anguilla and our other Overseas Territories as we leave the EU to ensure we get a deal which works for the whole UK family.

Brexit: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of no-deal contingency planning in the West Midlands.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Making a success of EU exit is a priority for the Government. Departments across government have been working to prepare for different EU exit scenarios, including for no-deal. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion for EU Exit preparations in both 2018/19 and 2019/20; this was subsequently increased by £0.5bn for 2019/20 in the 2018 Budget. There is no regional breakdown, but information on how this funding was allocated for 2018/19 and 2019/20 has been published by the Chief Secretary.

Brexit

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, in what ways he plans to provide people with information on how to prepare for the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We have developed a cross-departmental public information campaign to inform citizens and businesses about how leaving the EU might affect them, and advise on the steps they may need to take to prepare for EU Exit.Over the coming weeks, we will be using a range of channels to direct UK citizens, businesses, EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU to a dedicated area on GOV.UK.From the website, these different audiences will be able to view the latest authoritative information and guidance on any aspect of EU Exit relevant to them and find out what steps they may need to take to be prepared for the UK’s departure on 29th March.We have already started to promote the first phase of our public information campaign on radio and through the Government’s own social media channels.

Erasmus+ Programme

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) European Commission, (b) European Universities Association and (c) Secretary of State for Education on the future involvement of the UK in the Erasmus+ Programme.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government values international exchanges and collaboration in education and training. Future cooperation on education was discussed in the context of negotiations on the Political Declaration, where the UK and the EU agreed to establish terms and conditions for potential UK participation in EU programmes.The next generation of EU programmes are currently under negotiation in the EU. The Government will make decisions on whether to participate in specific programmes in light of these negotiations and wider UK priorities.Under the terms of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework period, such as Erasmus+, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of those projects financed by the current Multiannual Financial Framework.The Secretary of State regularly discusses EU Exit issues, including future UK participation in EU programmes, with Cabinet colleagues, and the Government is engaging closely with the HE sector and taking action to provide greater certainty.

Social Services: EU Nationals

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of state for Health and Social Care and (b) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on non-UK EU citizens whose social care packages are funded by local authorities.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We are working across Government to develop and implement our preparations to leave the EU. This includes discussions between my department and DHSC and MHCLG on the rights of EU citizens residing in the UK.The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text will provide non-UK EU citizens living in the UK with certainty about their rights going forward. It will allow EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU to continue living their lives broadly as they do now in the countries where they now live. It will enable families who have built their lives together in the EU and UK to stay together. It also gives people more certainty about residence, healthcare, pensions and other benefits.In a ‘no deal’ scenario, EU citizens and their family members lawfully residing in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to continue to access in country benefits and services on broadly the same terms as now. This means that they will retain their entitlement to healthcare, education, benefits and social housing, including supported housing and homelessness assistance, on the same basis as now.The Government has provided further detail on the rights of EU citizens in the UK following EU Exit in a published policy paper, which can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762222/Policy_paper_on_citizens__rights_in_the_event_of_a_no_deal_Brexit.pdf

Wales Office

Wales Office: Brexit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions his Department had with the Prime Minister's office on the content of the Prime Minister's Brexit speech in Stoke-on-Trent on 14 January 2019.

Alun Cairns: Ministers and civil servants in my Department have regular discussions with No 10 colleagues on a range of issues.

Wales Office: Brexit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he has had with the First Minister of Wales since the Welsh Assembly voted to reject the Withdrawal Agreement on 4 December 2018.

Alun Cairns: I have had a number of discussions with the First Minister since 4 December 2018 on matters affecting Wales, most recently on 16 January 2019.

Ministry of Justice

Family Courts: Legal Representation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many parents had no representation at a family court case relating to a child in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 14 January 2019



The number of unrepresented parents in private law Children Act cases is shown in the table below.Since 2015, we have invested almost £6.5million in a support strategy for unrepresented parties. This provides practical support and information as well as routes to free or more affordable legal advice. Public funding remains available for parents in public law Children Act proceedings where a local authority seeks an order to place a child in care or under its supervision, and in private law Children Act cases where there is evidence of domestic or child abuse.Whilst we do publish numbers of private law cases with either an unrepresented applicant or respondent as part of Family Court Statistics Quarterly, the data does not show the relationship to the child.Table 1: The total number of private law cases started and the number applicants and respondents who had no representation in these cases from 2011 to 2017.  Year Total number of cases started6Cases with at least one hearing6 Unrepresented Applicants Unrepresented Respondents  ParentOther4Unknown5Total ParentOther4Unknown5Total2011  49,067  45,907  10,2242,56029413,078 19,1291,2515,51725,8972012  52,062  49,157  11,5832,52434014,447 21,1171,2436,34428,7042013  54,624  51,846  17,0073,41357620,996 28,2051,4569,70439,3652014  42,114  39,776  16,7533,18182920,763 21,8249089,16431,8962015  43,347  41,435  18,5442,96993722,450 23,6851,0328,16132,8782016  48,246  46,256  21,8393,0941,07326,006 26,6691,1608,52436,3532017  50,652  48,625  23,8813,30392528,109 30,3061,1746,83138,311Notes: 1) Self-representation is determined by the field 'legal representation' in Familyman being left blank. Therefore, this is only a proxy measure and parties without a recorded representative are not necessarily self-representing litigants in person. Please note that the latest quarters' figures may reduce in future publications, particularly in regard to parties obtaining legal representation as cases progress. Therefore, the latest quarter figures should be considered as provisional2) In this instance 'at least one hearing' refers to non-vacated scheduled hearings, rather than actual hearings that have taken place.3) 'Unrepresented' refers to parties where the REPRESENTATIVE_ID field has been left blank. Therefore, they should be considered as parties without a recorded representative, rather than 'litigants in person'.4) 'Other' can refer to Grandparents, Step-Parents, Special Guardians or Children.5) 'Unknown' relations to child can occur in cases where relation to child is not requested (e.g. if the applicant or respondent is a local authority). This is the case for 3% of applicants and 23% of respondents given in the table.6) 'Total number of cases started' and 'Cases with at least one hearing' are included only for additional context and will include hearings with represented parties.7) The central data system FamilyMan was fully rolled out by the end of 2010 and so any data prior to this in FamilyMan is not complete and not shown in this table.

Prison Service: Pay

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is required for prison service staff to be eligible for the required hours addition allowance.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison governors claimed the required hours addition allowance in each year since 2010.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) rate of (b) average amount paid in Required Hours Addition allowance was to prison governors in the last 12 months.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prison governors claiming the Required Hours Addition allowance without completing the required training.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all Required Hours Addition claimants have completed the required training; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The payment of RHA is not claimed by individuals, but is automatically paid as a separate salaried allowance (pensionable) on taking up duty in a qualifying role (both operational and non-operational). RHA is pensionable and is paid to recognise that a role regularly requires the incumbent to work unsocial and unpredictable hours as part of their normal duties. An individual retains payment of the addition while they remain in a qualifying role, but will cease if at any time they move to a non-qualifying role. The information is not readily available as for each year all staff movements will need to be checked to ensure the continued entitlement each year and to check whether the allowance has been reinstated. As such the exact information requested can only be obtained at disproportionate cost for the number of prison governors in receipt of RHA in each financial year since 2010 and what the rate and average amount paid in Required Hours Addition allowance was to prison governors. Due to the protections given towards pay after the introduction of the Fair and Sustainable structures in April 2012, there are two different rates of RHA payable. Those given protection to remain in the closed world pay and grading structures receive a flat rate value of £5,696 per annum. Operational managers within the Fair and Sustainable structures receive an amount calculated at 17% of the rate of base pay they receive. The pay ranges for the operational manager roles (Bands 7 to 11) under F&S are open ranges, and individuals may be on a rate base pay at any point between the minimum and maximum within the open range. As payroll is undertaken by a third party provider, there would be an additional charge of around £1500 to prepare the report and confirm the average. As such, an average amount paid as RHA to operational managers is not available due to disproportionate costs.

Offenders: Employment

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of female offenders who have been unable to enter employment upon leaving prison.

Edward Argar: We know that of those released in the 2011/12 tax year, a higher proportion of female offenders were claiming out-of-work benefits both before and after their caution/conviction or prison sentence, than male offenders. The proportion of women claiming out-of-work benefits in the month before receiving a conviction/caution or prison sentence was 53%, which increases by two percentage points to 55% one month after a conviction/caution or release from prison. We are aware of a number of barriers that prevent women from entering employment on release from prison and are working to address these issues. Last May, we published the Education and Employment strategy which aims to set each prisoner on a path to employment, with prison education and work geared towards employment on release from the outset. Our strategy includes a range of initiatives to support this ambition. For example, we are empowering governors to commission education provision that leads to work, we are encouraging employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and we have consulted governors and employers on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through ROTL.

Offenders: Employment

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female offenders who have received more than one custodial sentence since 2010 were unemployed when they re-offended.

Edward Argar: We do not hold the data as requested, but we do know that offenders who find employment on release from prison are less likely to reoffend than those who do not. Offenders who found P45 employment in the twelve months after release from prison had one year re-offending rates that were 6-9 percentage points lower than similar offenders who did not find employment. In order to improve employment opportunities for ex-offenders, we published the Education and Employment strategy last year to set each prisoner on a path to employment from the outset, thus increasing access to employment for ex-offenders.

Ministry of Justice: Research

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 189764 on Ministry of Justice: Research, if he will publish the central record of his Department's externally commissioned social research.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice does not maintain a central record of all of its externally commissioned social research. It only maintains a central record of the social research that has been externally commissioned by the Analytical Services Directorate. Some of the Ministry of Justice’s agencies and public bodies will also independently externally commission social research but a central record of this work is not maintained. The Ministry of Justice has no plans to publish the central record of social research that has been commissioned by the Analytical Services Directorate. Copies of MoJ’s published Government Social Research reports can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications Details of the types of research undertaken by the different parts of MoJ can be downloaded here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-within-mojs-agencies-and-arms-length-bodiesThis document sets out the high-level areas of research interest for MOJ with the aim of supporting ongoing and new engagement with the external research community.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-areas-of-research-interest

Young Offenders: Education

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours of education on average each week young people received in each secure training centre in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The information requested is provided in the attached table. Good education in and out of the classroom and purposeful activity are the key to unlocking a secure and stable future for young people and I am determined to drive forward our comprehensive reforms so that young people are equipped with the skills to live successful, crime-free lives on release.



PQ 208325 - Education across STCs
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.75 KB)

Forensic Science: Misconduct

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to provide public information on the right of people to apply for a C650 Application notice to vary or set aside an order in relation to children as a result of the manipulation of forensic tests.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Press Recognition Panel

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Press Recognition Panel was added to his Ministerial responsibilities; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that decision on the work of the Panel.

Edward Argar: The Royal Charter establishing the Press Recognition Panel sets out the responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor. Other than in his role as Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Justice does not have any ministerial responsibilities in respect of the Panel. HM Treasury determined that the Press Recognition Panel should fall under the Ministry of Justice Departmental Boundary for Estimates and Accounts purposes, this is purely an administrative action. There is no charge in terms of the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities as set out in the Royal Charter, and the Panel remains outside the Secretary of State's responsibilities.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 192923, on 19 November 2018, asked by the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion.

Mr David Lidington: I responded to Question 192923 on 16/01/19. The response can be found here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-19/192923/

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Esther McVey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to his Department for financial year 2018-19 for planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and how much of that funding has been spent.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury has already allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the devolved administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This includes the £1.5 billion of additional funding HM Treasury announced at Autumn Budget 2017 for 2018/19. A full breakdown of how this was allocated to departments can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). This money will be paid out in Supplementary Estimates 18/19 later this financial year. Between April 2018 and December 2018, the Cabinet Office spent £32.5m on activities associated with preparations to leave the European Union.

British-Irish Council

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a date has been set for the next meeting of the British-Irish Council.

Mr David Lidington: A date has been agreed for the next Summit of the British-Irish Council which is due to be hosted by the UK Government later this year.

Civil Contingencies Secretariat: Staff

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people currently work in the civil contingencies secretariat.

Mr David Lidington: The Civil Contingencies Secretariat sits within the wider National Security Secretariat. The budgetfor the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) for 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 is set outin the table below;YearTotal Budget2016-2017£11.9 million2017-2018£15,4 million2018-2019£16.9 millionThe current delegated headcount for CCS is 94. This is the maximum number of staff paid out of the CCS budget, it does not include staff working in or with the Secretariat paid for by other departments or programmes.

Civil Contingencies Secretariat: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the civil contingencies secretariat budget was for (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19.

Mr David Lidington: The Civil Contingencies Secretariat sits within the wider National Security Secretariat. The budget for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) for 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 is set out in the table below; YearTotal Budget2016-2017£11.9 million2017-2018£15,4 million2018-2019£16.9 million The current delegated headcount for CCS is 94. This is the maximum number of staff paid out of the CCS budget, it does not include staff working in or with the Secretariat paid for by other departments or programmes.

Travellers: Census

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities are classified as being specific communities in need of supported participation with the 2021 census; and what steps he plans to put in place to ensure census liaison staff reach those communities.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 178.11 KB)

Travellers: Census

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Roma will be classified as a specific community in need of supported participation in the 2021 census, and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that census liaison staff reach those communities.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 178.11 KB)

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January to Question 205794 on Cabinet Office: Brexit, when his Department plans to publish the data transparency releases referred to in that answer.

Mr David Lidington: All spending over £25000 is published in line with current guidnace on a monthly basis on GOV.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates he has held meetings with his European counterparts on the UK's continued partnership with the EU on cyber-related matters in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr David Lidington: Ministers from multiple departments hold different responsibilities within the UK's National Cyber Security Strategy. They engage with their European counterparts on a wide range of cyber related issues.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which government strategic suppliers have provided living wills.

Oliver Dowden: Serco, Capita, Sopra Steria, Engie and Interserve have all volunteered to pilot the use of “living wills”.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the previous holder of the role of Crown Representative to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises left that role.

Oliver Dowden: Emma Jones left her role as SME Crown Representative at the end of 2018. The appointment of a new SME Crown Representative has been finalised and an announcement of the appointment will be made soon.

Armed Forces

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the military planners sent to Departments to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal are answerable to the Ministers of those Departments.

Mr David Lidington: Military planners have been seconded from the Ministry of Defence to other government departments to assist those departments with planning and coordination activity in preparation for the UK leaving the EU. While, these planners will remain under the full command of their Ministry of Defence single service chiefs during their secondment, the tasks that they will undertake while seconded will be directed by the host department, and will be based on that department's needs as overseen by Ministers.

Royal Family: Official Gifts

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on gifts for members of the Royal Family to disburse in each year since 2009.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office does not allocate spending for dispersal by members of the Royal Family.

Urban Areas

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) towns or cities and (b) other bodies have sought permission from his Department to use the word Royal in a proposed name since 1 January 2014; and which of those requests for permission have been (i) approved and (ii) refused.

Mr David Lidington: Use of the protected title ‘Royal’ is conferred by the Queen acting on the advice ofMinisters. No grants to towns and cities have been made since 2014Details of the applications are not disclosed to protect their confidentiality, however thenumber of applications received by the Cabinet Office for all protected titles includingthose containing the word ‘Royal’, was 906 in 2018. The Cabinet Office objected to 107 ofthese, issued a non-objection to 703 and approved 14. The remaining cases are still beingconsidered or were closed without a resolution.

Urban Areas

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria his Department apply when determining whether to grant permission to an external body seeking to use the word Royal in a proposed name.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office considers whether the applicant can demonstrate the following when determining whether to advise Her Majesty the Queen to grant an application for the protect title ‘Royal’: (i) a specific and strong connection with royalty (ii) a pre-eminent and outstanding reputation and (iii) national standing. Other issues may inform decision making on a case by case basis such as whether the application is linked with a specific event or a milestone anniversary.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Hearing Impaired

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the loop system in the House of Commons for people with hearing difficulties.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 09 January 2019



Since January 2018, Parliament’s Sound and Vision Contractor, NEP Bow Tie TV, have been conducting monthly checks with the support of the In-House Services Team on 69 assistive listening systems throughout the main rooms on the Parliamentary Estate to the current BS/IEC standards (BS8594 and 601884IEC). Prior to January 2018, these checks were carried out on an annual basis. A report is supplied each month to the contract owner, the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit, and the In-House Services Team and Diversity and Inclusion teams.Independent audits are also conducted by Action on Hearing Loss.In addition to monthly checks, a comprehensive, annual "Commissioning" test is carried out by NEP Bow Tie TV. This checks for Background Noise; Field Strength; Frequency Response; Live Listening; Live Signal; System Noise; Overspill; and Venue Accessibility.Where high quality sound systems are installed, such as in the Chamber and in committee rooms, audio quality is generally good. However, a report by Wave Science Technology has highlighted that further improvements could be achieved in meeting rooms. The recommendations from the external audio consultant relating to assistive listening will be considered in January as part of an on-going review of audio/video provision in committee and other meeting rooms. This work has been undertaken by Parliament’s AV Programme which has been delivering other improvements to audio video systems across the Estate.

Parliamentary Estate: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reasons the Commission has restricted the sale of alcohol in parliamentary cafeterias selling food; and how that policy is intended to promote responsible alcohol consumption.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 11 January 2019






An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The House of Commons Commission has agreed a number of actions to promote responsible alcohol consumption on the Parliamentary Estate. On 19 March 2018, the House of Commons Commission endorsed the recommendations of the Administration Committee to help to promote responsible drinking in Commons catering venues. The Commission also agreed to return to this matter on a six-monthly basis. The Commission did so on 29 October 2018, also giving due weight to the reference to access to alcohol within the Dame Laura Cox report on bullying and harassment. On 17 December 2018 the Commission agreed a number of actions to promote responsible alcohol consumption on the Parliamentary Estate. These included increasing the range of non-alcoholic drinks and lower strength beers available, training and supporting staff to refuse to serve customers when necessary, expanding and encouraging alcohol-free areas including all six House of Commons cafeterias (Bellamy's, Courtyard Café, Debate, Jubilee Café, Members' Tea Room, Terrace Cafeteria), discouraging Members and staff from drinking in offices after bars are shut, and not running promotional advertisements.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 11 January 2019



The House of Commons Commission has agreed a number of actions to promote responsible alcohol consumption on the Parliamentary Estate. On 19 March 2018, the House of Commons Commission endorsed the recommendations of the Administration Committee to help to promote responsible drinking in Commons catering venues. The Commission also agreed to return to this matter on a six-monthly basis. The Commission did so on 29 October 2018, also giving due weight to the reference to access to alcohol within the Dame Laura Cox report on bullying and harassment. On 17 December 2018 the Commission agreed a number of actions to promote responsible alcohol consumption on the Parliamentary Estate. These included increasing the range of non-alcoholic drinks and lower strength beers available, training and supporting staff to refuse to serve customers when necessary, expanding and encouraging alcohol-free areas including all six House of Commons cafeterias (Bellamy's, Courtyard Café, Debate, Jubilee Café, Members' Tea Room, Terrace Cafeteria), discouraging Members and staff from drinking in offices after bars are shut, and not running promotional advertisements.

House of Commons Annunciator System: Mobile Phones

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to make the information displayed on the House of Commons Annunciator available to hon. Members and their staff via a smartphone app.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 16 January 2019



The annunciator system was replaced with a new system on 14 December 2018. The replacement provides an improved platform from which to implement further service enhancements. In parallel in 2018 we prototyped some tools to explore how we might provide the annunciator plus additional extended information in a mobile app. A key learning was that to provide Members with a smartphone app with the timeliness and accuracy of the annunciator service required further feasibility work. Funding for this feasibility work is available in the new financial year and also for some user research with Members to confirm what other new features related to the Annunciator would be of most benefit. No explicit timing for this work has yet been defined but it is hoped to have completed the feasibility review by the autumn.

House of Commons Annunciator System

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, when the display and software for the House of Commons Annunciator was last updated; and what plans the Commission has to modernise that software.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 16 January 2019



The annunciator system was replaced with a new system on 14 December 2018. This replacement implemented a new Annunciator graphics system that includes but was not limited to the following features:resilient hardware platformsoftware and hardware solution to generate high-definition Commons and Lords graphicssoftware application to support the creation of graphics templatessoftware application to maintain a local cache of selected data obtained from the Members’ Names Data Platform for inclusion in the graphics servicesoftware application to support the provision of a live graphics serviceseparate systems for the Commons, Lords and Security teams that are connected using a video signal flowsoftware solution with the capability to support the development of additional functionality The Parliamentary Digital Service has some funding in the Digital Portfolio in the next financial year to extend the annunciator service based on the new software platform. This funding will be informed by some user research amongst Members to confirm what features would be of most benefit.

Parliamentary Estate: Security

Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent assessment the Commission has made of the efficiency of call-handling procedures in the House of Commons Pass Office.

Tom Brake: The Pass Office recently introduced a Netcall telephone management system in order to monitor calls. In general, this shows that the Pass Office is receiving an increased volume of calls. This reflects a 17% increase in the number of pass applications, from 10,849 in 2017 to 12,940 in 2018. In particular, the Pass Office experienced a large increase in calls following the Christmas break. This coincided with a period when the Pass Office was suffering from staff shortages. While this is now being addressed, it has meant that the office currently has fewer people dedicated to responding to calls, as the back-office team also perform duties such as processing security clearance applications.The Pass Office is keen to ensure good customer service. As calls to the Pass Office are often to check on the status of applications, callers are being advised to email the Pass Office with the relevant information. This is so that Pass Office staff can then respond more effectively and swiftly to these enquiries. The Pass Office encourages e-mail enquiries as the best way customers can get a quick update on the status of an application.

Members: Official Hospitality

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much money is now owed by (a) hon. Members and (b) former hon Members for unpaid catering and hospitality bills at the House of Commons (i) in total, and (ii) as a proportion of the turnover of catering and hospitality in the House of Commons; and what steps the Commission is taking to ensure the collection of those debts.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.